The News
U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping met in Bali, the first such meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office.
Know More
The highly anticipated talks came amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China, a day before a Group of 20 (G20) summit in Indonesia.
After the discussions concluded the White House said Biden highlighted the need for the countries to “work together to address transnational challenges.” Climate change, health security, global food security, and global macroeconomic stability were among the issues he raised because it is “what the international community expects,” it said in a statement.
Biden also raised concerns about human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, the White House said. On Taiwan, Biden stressed that the U.S.‘s “one China” policy hasn’t changed, saying it “opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side.”
Xi and Biden agreed that nuclear war should be avoided, and said nuclear weapons should not be used in Ukraine.
Running slightly over three hours, the discussions marked the second-longest meeting between the two leaders. Last November, Biden and Xi spoke by phone for three-and-a-half hours.
Before the talks began, Biden told reporters in Bali that the two countries must “manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near a conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation.”
Also speaking ahead of the meeting, Xi said he hoped the leaders could “elevate” their relationship.
He added that the talks had “attracted the world’s attention,” and said the U.S. and China must work alongside other countries to bring “more hope to world peace, greater confidence to global stability and strong impetus to common development.”
