The purpose of the first face-to-face meeting between US Vice President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping is to manage disputes between the superpowers.
US Vice President Joe Biden spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and stated that it is their “duty” to demonstrate that the United States and China can “manage our disagreements.”
Mr. Xi entered the three-and-a-half-hour discussion anticipating a “frank and in-depth exchange of views” with Mr. Biden, expressing his hope that they would discover areas of common ground.
Mr. Biden later told reporters that they had indeed been “quite direct” with one another. However, he stated that the Chinese leader had been “direct and amenable to compromise” on several matters.
The US president stated, “We were extremely candid with one other about areas where we disagreed or were uncertain of each other’s position, and we agreed to set up systems where key persons from each administration would meet to discuss how to address issues.
During the discussion, Mr. Biden objected to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive tactics” toward Taiwan and addressed human rights concerns regarding Beijing’s behavior in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, according to the White House.
According to state broadcaster CCTV, Mr. Xi agreed that the current condition of China-U.S. ties was not in the best interests of both nations and that they needed to “steer the rudder.”
During the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Biden’s inauguration over two years ago, Mr. Xi stated that they should consider and define the direction of their countries’ growth, as well as how to get along with others.
‘Very little misunderstanding’
Mr. Biden stated, “As the leaders of our two nations, it is our shared responsibility to demonstrate that China and the United States can manage their differences, avoid competition from escalating into confrontation, and find ways to collaborate on pressing global issues that require our joint efforts.”
Mr. Biden stated of US-China relations while visiting a summit of southeast Asian nations over the weekend: “We have very few misunderstandings.”
Sunday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he told reporters, “We just need to determine where the red lines are and what’s most important to every one of us for the next two years.”
Referring to Mr. Xi’s decision to continue in power for at least another five years despite a decades-long precedent limiting the tenure of Chinese leaders, Mr. Biden stated, “His domestic circumstances have changed.”
The president stated that he was “coming in stronger” following midterm elections in which the Democrats maintained control of the Senate.
