Biden, Xi focus on avoiding confrontation in second cellphone name of latest U.S. administration

BEIJING — Chinese language President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke for the primary time since February on Friday.

It marked the second name between the leaders since Biden took workplace in January, as tensions between the world’s two largest economies simmer.

“President Biden underscored the USA’ enduring curiosity in peace, stability, and prosperity within the Indo-Pacific and the world and the 2 leaders mentioned the duty of each nations to make sure competitors doesn’t veer into battle,” the White Home mentioned in a readout of the decision launched Friday morning.

Chinese language state media confirmed the decision shortly afterwards.

Xi mentioned within the report that, “on the premise of respecting one another’s core considerations and correctly managing variations,” related departments of the 2 nations can interact for cooperation on local weather, Covid prevention, financial restoration and main worldwide and regional points.

He mentioned if there’s “confrontation” between China and the U.S., “each nations and the world will endure,” whereas all will profit if the 2 nations work collectively. That is in keeping with a CNBC translation of the Chinese language textual content.

The state media report additionally included some description of Biden’s feedback, together with a comment that: “The 2 nations don’t have any cause to fall into battle because of competitors.”

The 2 leaders final spoke simply earlier than the Lunar New Yr — China’s most essential vacation — in February in a name Biden mentioned lasted two hours.

Friday’s name, which lasted for about 90 minutes, mentioned a variety of transnational points and touched on financial points, though that side of U.S.-China coverage stays below assessment, Reuters reported, citing a senior U.S. administration official. The 2 leaders are in a position to be candid and trustworthy with one another with out lecturing, the official mentioned.

The U.S. focus have to be on rallying companions and allies, the official mentioned within the report.

Biden’s technique for coping with China has centered on working with conventional U.S. allies. The previous Trump administration had taken a extra singlehanded method of making use of tariffs and sanctions on China in an effort to deal with longstanding enterprise complaints of unequal market entry and compelled expertise switch.

The geopolitical panorama has grown extra advanced this summer time with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the rise of the Taliban in a area that shares a border with China.

Within the final a number of months, each China and the U.S. have elevated efforts to construct up political and financial ties with regional companions.

On Thursday, Xi mentioned at a digital assembly of the 5 BRICS nations — China, Russia, Brazil, South Africa and India — that Beijing would chair the BRICS summit subsequent yr and seemed ahead to working extra with member nations, in keeping with state media.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired this yr’s assembly.

This fall, India is ready to affix the U.S., Japan and Australia for an in-person assembly of the so-called Quad leaders. Stories say the gathering may happen as early as this month.