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Chinese President Xi Jinping had a rare face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday.
The two leaders are in San Francisco for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC) summit.
Biden said the purpose of the meeting was “to understand each other.”
“As always, there’s no substitute to face-to-face discussions,” he said, adding that he and Xi “haven’t always agreed” in the past.
Leaders talk of common ground
At the opening of the talks, Biden said the two leaders must ensure that “competition does not lead to conflict.”
Xi later told Biden that “planet Earth is big enough for both countries to succeed.”
He said that protectionism has weighed on the global economy.
The leaders’ first meeting since November 2022 was held far from the APEC summit at Filoli estate, a venue miles outside San Francisco, chosen for its security, serenity and remoteness.
What else is on the agenda?
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said he expected a “productive discussion” that would lead to “much more communication and dialogue between our two teams going forward.”
Kirby listed a number of topics that Biden intended to bring up with Xi at the meeting, which marks Chinese leader’s first time in the United States since 2017.
They include “tensions in the Taiwan Strait” and the human rights situation faced by Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, Kirby said on Wednesday.
Kirby previously said the two leaders would likely also discuss other geopolitical issues such as North Korea’s missile tests, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s war against Hamas, which the US and other governments categorize as a terrorist organization.
Other issues up for discussion include jointly addressing climate change, managing the growth of artificial intelligence and curbing the flow of fentanyl.
On Tuesday, on the eve of the meeting, Biden walked back previous rhetoric about economically “decoupling” from China.
“We’re not trying to decouple from China. What we’re trying to do is change the relationship for the better,” Biden said
zc/lo (AP, Reuters, AFP)
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