A virtual US-China summit began on Tuesday morning (IST). While US President Biden said he looked forward to discussing human rights and security issues, China’s Xi Jinping said he was very happy to see his “old friend”.
A virtual US-China summit began on Tuesday morning. (Photo: ANI)
US President Joe Biden told Chinese leader Xi Jinping that he expected open talks on human rights and security issues. The two start a meeting to defuse the tension between two global superpowers.
“Maybe I should start more formally, although you and I have never been so formal with each other,” Biden told Xi in a video conference as both leaders have since Biden became president in January. Engaged in his most extensive conversation.
Xi said he was delighted to see Biden, whom he called an “old friend,” and said both sides should increase communication and cooperation to solve the many challenges facing them.
Setting conditions for US-China relations
The US president said the two leaders should ensure that their relationship does not fall into open conflict by setting up “common sense” railings. He promised to address areas of concern to Washington, including human rights and other issues in the Indo-Pacific.
The talks, which were initiated by Joe Biden and began shortly after 7.45 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday (0045 GMT Tuesday), were intended to set the conditions for a future US-China contest. Biden could pressure Beijing to respect international rules on commerce and security issues.
The opening moments of the two leaders’ video dialogue were seen by a small group of journalists who had joined Biden in the West Wing conference room, before US officials expected to last several hours, in a meeting with heads of state. spoke privately.
point of contention
Both sides hope that the talks will reduce the bitterness in the relationship.
The United States and China, the world’s largest economies, disagree on the origins of covid 19 pandemic, trade and competition rules, Beijing’s growing nuclear arsenal and its increased pressure on taiwan among other issues.
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