US leader holds talks with Xi to cool tension
United States President Joe Biden held a rare direct phone call with President Xi Jinping yesterday in a bid to defuse tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea and trade in high-tech products.
Officials on both sides described the talks as “candid” and “constructive” but made clear that the two men also clashed on a wide range of issues.
Biden complained about Chinese support for Russia’s military-industrial complex, while Xi hinted at dissatisfaction over US support for “independence forces” in Taiwan.
Biden raised concerns about TikTok, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app, which American officials have said is a surveillance tool for Beijing, and condemned “unfair market practices” by the Chinese.
Xi countered with criticism of US sanctions imposed against companies transferring high-tech products, particularly the latest cutting-edge computer chips, to China. Washington claims they could be used to challenge the US military.
“If the US side is willing to seek mutually beneficial co-operation and share in China’s development dividends, it will always find China’s door open,” Xi said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry account of the conversation.
“But if it is adamant on containing China’s high-tech development and depriving it of its legitimate right to development, China is not going to sit back and watch.”
The call, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, was the first between the leaders since July – an indication of the frosty relationship between the superpowers.
There was an attempt to repair the relationship when Xi visited the US for a regional summit in San Francisco in November. That meeting led to breakthroughs in some areas, with the resumption of talks between the two countries’ militaries, co-operation on tackling the synthetic opioid fentanyl and a promise of more pandas for American zoos.
However, there was no agreement on substantial geopolitical issues, including the growing risk of war over Taiwan and the South China Sea – most of which China claims, despite opposition from other southeast Asian nations. Biden said after the November visit that he still thought of Xi as a “dictator”.
A senior US administration official said before yesterday’s phone call that Biden wanted consistent dialogue with Xi to ensure “responsible management of the relationship”.
On Taiwan, Biden reaffirmed the US’ One China policy but insisted that he would oppose any bid by China to bring the island under its control. He revisited concerns about Chinese military operations in the South China Sea, including attempts to block the Philippines from resupplying its forces on the Second Thomas Shoal.
Biden also warned Xi not to interfere in the US presidential election in November and to rein in cyberattacks on US infrastructure.
There were some positive notes, however: the US believes it can co-operate with China on countering any threat posed by artificial intelligence. Beijing co-sponsored a resolution on the technology at the UN last month and US officials expect to announce a bilateral dialogue on managing “the risk and safety challenges posed by advanced forms of AI”.