During their 3-hour meeting, president Biden and Xijinping discussed the relations of their countries, war in Ukraine, tensions regarding Taiwan, & the importance of collaborating to combat global issues.
While this is the first face-to-face meeting as presidents of their respective countries, Biden and Xi have known each other for over a decade, and both expressed warmness upon seeing each other.
US officials also stated that they understood this meeting as an opportunity to gain clarity on appropriate points of contact in the Chinese government following the 20th Party Congress.
Biden also raised issues of human rights in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the country more broadly. He highlighted that resolving the cases of American citizens wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China was a priority for his administration.
Competition, Not Conflict According to the White House readout of the meeting, Biden reiterated that the “United States will continue to compete vigorously with the PRC” but this competition “should not veer into conflict and underscored that the US & China must manage the competition responsibly and maintain open lines of communication”. The leaders agreed that they must work together on international challenges, including global food security, climate change, and health security, as that is their responsibility to the global community. Towards these aims, they agreed to empower senior officials to collaborate and maintain communications. These efforts will include an early 2023 visit by Secretary of State Blinken to China.
In his remarks prior to their bilateral meeting, President Biden within the context of Chinese and American responsibility to work together against global challenges exclaimed that “The United States stands ready to do just that—work with you—if that’s what you desire seemed to be a mutual desire to downplay the perception that Washington and Beijing are nearing a revitalized Cold War-style confrontation.
On Taiwan Biden warned Xi that his aggressive stance towards Taiwan threatens regional stability and could jeopardize the global economy, to which Xi responded that Taiwan’s independence was as incompatible to peace and stability as “fire and water.” Xi continued to clarify that Taiwan is a red line within the China-US relationship and “anyone who tries to split Taiwan from China would defy the virtuous cause of the Chinese nation.”
After the meeting, Biden told reporters that he does not think there is a serious imminent threat of Chinese invasion of Taiwan. The Foreign Ministry of the People's Republic of China’s readout of the meeting specifies that “Solving the Taiwan issue is a matter of the Chinese people themselves and China’s internal affairs.” This statement comes shortly after the claim that “China has never sought to change the existing international order, does not interfere in the internal affairs of the United States, and has no intention of challenging or replacing the United States.
On Ukraine Both leaders agreed that a nuclear war should never be fought, as it can never be won. Xi said that he is highly concerned with the situation in Ukraine. The Chinese readout stated that “China has always stood on the side of peace” and will continue to support the resumption of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. They hope that “the United States, NATO and the European Union will engage in a comprehensive dialogue with Russia.”
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