Xi and Biden in a 4-hour meeting. The “hotline” between presidents has been restored

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face-to-face near San Francisco on Wednesday, November 15. It was their first confrontation of this type in almost a year. The leaders’ talks took place on the occasion and on the border of the APEC conference – Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation.

Biden on China: Competition must not turn into conflict

– We must make sure that the rivalry does not turn into a conflict – emphasized Joe Biden at the start of the China-US summit. – The critical global changes we face: from climate change, through the fight against drugs, to artificial intelligence, require our combined efforts – he argued.

– For two such huge countries as China and the United States, turning our backs on each other is not an option – said Xi Jinping at the beginning of his speech. – Planet Earth is large enough for both countries to prosper – he emphasized. The speeches of both politicians were perceived as a continuation of the positive signals that have appeared between these powers in recent days.

Joe Biden revealed more about the leaders’ arrangements to journalists. He confirmed that one of the goals of the summit was to de-escalate tensions between the powers. – We are resuming direct contacts between the troops, which, as you know, were severed and it was disturbing because this is how accidents and misunderstandings occur – said the US president in Filola near San Francisco.

Biden: Maintain communication channels with China

“We will continue high-level diplomacy in both directions in the coming months to keep channels of communication open, including between President Xi and me,” he said. He said he was “reassured” when Xi talked about the need to pick up the phone and call if he had concerns about the two nations’ affairs. When asked by journalists about Taiwan, he tried to answer diplomatically.

Biden assured that the US does not intend to change the “one China” policy. At the same time, the White House wrote in its summary that the country’s president confirmed the US’s “iron commitments” to defend its allies in the Indo-Pacific region. At the same time, Xi Jinping allegedly stated that his country prefers peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan and is not preparing for an invasion. However, he outlined the conditions under which force could be used.

A senior White House representative allegedly revealed even more details from the presidents’ conversation. He said Xi was irritated by reports from the United States that his country was planning military action “in 2027 or 2035.” – There was some irritation in his comments. And then he said that he had no such plans and that no one had talked to him about it, the official revealed.

World conflicts, the fight against drugs and artificial intelligence

The topics discussed also included the two hottest armed conflicts at the moment. Joe Biden admitted that he discussed with Xi Russia’s uncompromising attitude, which was to refuse to stop the “war and brutal aggression against Ukraine”. The war in the Gaza Strip was also to be discussed.

The press conference also announced China-US cooperation aimed at countering the smuggling of equipment and intermediates for the creation of fentanyl – an opioid responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Americans each year. Both countries also agreed to initiate a dialogue between their experts on the risks related to artificial intelligence.