US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 summit. The two presidents held the first direct meeting since Biden took office nearly two years ago, amid increasing economic and security tensions between the two great powers.
US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shook hands at the beginning of their summit in Bali in Indonesia on Monday.
When the Chinese president welcomed his American counterpart, Biden smiled saying, “It is good to see you,” began with extensive talks expected to last for two hours. Biden confirmed that “there is no alternative” to direct talks, expressing his hope to avoid a “conflict” between Washington and Beijing.
For his part, Xi told the American President, “We all care a lot” with the American-Chinese relations. He added that he was ready for “frank” talks with Biden on strategic issues.
The White House announced earlier that the US President wanted to reopen a dialogue during his meeting, Monday, with his Chinese counterpart Xi, who just arrived in Indonesia to attend.
The White House added that Biden will also seek to determine “guarantees” in the context of the growing tension between Washington and Beijing.
A senior White House official spoke to reporters of an American “design” to “strengthen communications in a responsible manner”, while defining “guarantees” and “clear rules” in order for “the competition not to turn into a conflict” between the two great forces.
“We are in competition.
President Biden realizes this, but he wants to make sure that the competition has limits, that we are building protection barriers and that we have clear rules of the road and that we are doing all of this to ensure that the competition does not turn into a conflict,” the White House said.
A US official told reporters that the US president has the support of his “allies and partners” regarding this approach.
“There is wide support for our determination to build a ground for the relationship in order to increase communications responsible,” he added.
For its part, China, on Monday, expressed its hope that the meeting between President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden before the G20 summit in Indonesia will re -relations.
In response to a question of Agence France -Presse about China’s expectations of talks on face in Bali, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a periodic press conference, “We hope that the United States will work with China to control differences and enhance useful cooperation for both parties, and avoid misunderstanding And the poor appreciation to push the American -Chinese relations to its right path and for the sake of health and stable development.
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The two leaders have spoken on the phone or video five times since Biden arrived at the White House in 2021, but they have known each other since 2017.
In addition to China’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Washington and Beijing are at odds on issues ranging from trade to human rights in the Chinese Shinjiang region to Taiwan’s situation..
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