Stable US-China ties will benefit the world, US President Joe Biden says after ‘frank’ talks with Xi

Biden called his conversation with Xi “frank and constructive” and said he emphasized to his Chinese counterpart that the “United States does not seek conflict.”

Washington: President Joe Biden said the world expects the US and China to better manage their competition, making the case for sustained US involvement in the Asia-Pacific region, a day after his high-profile meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Biden assured Asia-Pacific economies of US commitment at a summit in San Francisco on Thursday, saying his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping would provide stability for the region and the entire world. Biden called his conversation with Xi “frank and constructive” and said he emphasized to his Chinese counterpart that the “United States does not seek conflict.”

“We are not going anywhere,” AFP quoted Biden at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) group, which has 21 members but is overshadowed by US-China relations.

“I said it’s because we’re a Pacific country. Thanks to us, there is peace and security in the region, which allows you to grow. He didn’t disagree with that,” Biden said.

Biden and Xi met on Wednesday and announced the resumption of military-to-military communications and agreements to jointly combat fentanyl trafficking. After their meeting, Xi addressed another gathering of business leaders at a dinner, where he welcomed American attendees, including the CEO of Apple Inc. Tim Cook, Larry Fink of BlackRock Inc. and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone Inc., said China hoped for “a partner and a friend.”

“I met with Xi yesterday, leader to leader, to make sure there is no miscommunication between us. As always, I have met them more than any other world leader because when I was Vice President it was concluded that I should get to know him. It was inappropriate for the president of the United States to meet with the vice president,” he said.

Biden said the talks over the next two days would focus on issues of artificial intelligence, climate resilience and supply chains, adding that the “challenges we face today are different from those faced by previous groups of APEC leaders. ”

The US president also used the forum to highlight the importance of workers’ rights, following his domestic support for unions amid a series of high-profile strikes in the auto, healthcare and entertainment industries.