Following a meeting with Chinese President XI Jinping that lasted more than three hours, US President Joe Biden on Monday said there was no “imminent” attempt by China to invade Taiwan, AP reported. In his first in-person meeting with Xi Jinping since taking over as US president, Biden objected to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” toward Taiwan and raised human rights concerns about Beijing’s conduct in Xinjiang.
“I do not think there is any imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan. There need not be a new cold war. Xi Jinping was direct and straightforward, he is willing to compromise on certain key issues,” Biden said at a media briefing in Bali, Indosnesia.
However, the Chinese President told Biden that the “Taiwan question” was the “first red line that must not be crossed” in US-China relations, AP reported.
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During his meeting with Xi, Biden reiterated US’ support for the ‘One China’ policy, which recognises China’s position that there is only one Chinese government. However, US maintains informal relations and defence ties with Taiwan.
“I had an open, candid conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. We raised a lot of issues. The One China policy has not changed. I have asked Secretary Blinken to travel to China to keep lines of communication open between the two nations,” Biden further said.
In a statement issued by the White House after the meeting between the two leaders, Biden told Xi that the US would “continue to compete vigorously” with China, but that “competition should not veer into conflict”.
Biden and Xi also agreed that “a nuclear war should never be fought” and underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Biden also urged China to rein in ally North Korea following a spate of missile tests that has raised fears that it might carry out its seventh nuclear test soon.
Biden told Xi that “all members of the international community have an interest in encouraging the DPRK to act responsibly,” the White House said.
According to a statement by China, Xi told Biden that Beijing and Washington “share more, not less” in common interests. “The world expects that China and the United States will properly handle the relationship,” Xi said.
Earlier in the day, Xi and Biden greeted each other with a handshake at a luxury resort hotel in Indonesia, where they are attending the G-20 summit of large economies.