He president US, Joe Biden and his pair from China, Xi Jinpingagreed on Wednesday to resume communications of senior military commanders and cooperate in anti-drug policies, two important results of his first conversations face to face in a year.
Biden and Xi They gathered for about four hours on the outskirts of San Francisco and covered pressure points that have contributed to strained relations between USA and China.
Beijing said the two leaders agreed to resume military contacts that China broke after the then speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Peloyes, will visit Taiwan in August 2022.
Biden requested that both countries institutionalize military-to-military dialoguesand US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with his Chinese counterpart when his position is appointed, a senior US official said.
The armies of the United States and China have come close to clashing several times over various incidents in the last year.
Biden and Xi agreed to cooperate to attack the source of the opioid fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States, Washington said.
Under the deal, China will go directly after chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors, the senior U.S. official told reporters.
Xi tried to reassure Biden about Beijing’s intentions regarding the island of Taiwanwhich China claims as its territory, saying it has no plans to take military action in the coming years.
However, the Chinese president did lay out the conditions under which the use of force could be used, according to a US official. Biden called on China to respect Taiwan’s electoral process, the official said.
Meeting between Biden and Xi
a smiling Biden greeted Xi after the Chinese leader stepped out of a black limousine in the opulent Filoli Garden in California, less than 50 km from San Francisco.
The conversation, which takes place on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), is an attempt to moderate the tone of both powers on issues such as Taiwan, sanctions and commercial exchange.
Biden, flanked by the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, and that of State, Antony Blinken, He spoke first and spoke to the media for a few minutes. “Key members of our team had important discussions” since the last meeting between the two leaders, which was held in November 2022, said the American host.
Xi Jinping and Biden met in California
“Mr. President, we have known each other for a long time. We have not always agreed (…) but our meetings have always been frank and direct,” he said. and added: it is “essential that we truly understand each other, from leader to leader.”
Immediately, the Chinese president, who listened to his counterpart through translation, said that “turning our backs is not an option” and pointed out that “planet Earth is big enough for both countries to succeed. As long as they respect each other coexist in peace, they will be fully capable of overcoming their differences.”
“You and I are at the forefront of China-US relations (…) I look forward to having an in-depth exchange,” Xi continued.
Biden thanked him and the extensive closed-door meeting began, which will include a working lunch. The US president will hold a solo press conference at 4:15 p.m. (0015 GMT) to announce the results of the summit, the White House reported.
The United States is not trying to “separate from China”
On the eve of the long-awaited meeting, Biden noted that China has “real problems”. “President Xi is another example of how the restoration of the leadership American in the world. They have real problems,” he said. Biden without elaborating further during a fundraising event hours before the meeting.
Hours before he stated that The United States is not trying to “separate from China”, but to “change the relationship for the better.” She further said that she wanted to “get back to a normal rhythm of correspondence, being able to answer the phone and talk if there is a crisis.”
China has pointed out that Xi and Biden will discuss “world peace and development”adding that he was not “afraid of the competition.”
Source: Ambito
