After a year of no contact between the two nations, Biden weighs in on how the his four hour conversation went with Xi.
The two world leaders agreed to restore high-level military communication and take steps to curb fentanyl production in China, which makes its way into the US.
Along with these two pressing matters, Xi urged the United States to not suppress or contain China.
President Xi was quoted in China’s state media Xinhua as saying, “China has no plans to surpass or unseat the United States, and the United States should not scheme to suppress or contain China.”
The White House says that during the conversation, Biden brought attention to “human rights abuses” in places like Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, along with talks about efforts to release U.S. citizens currently detained in China.
According to China’s state agency Xinhua, the two sides made a point to show each other respect, continue to keep open communication channels open, and prevent conflict between the countries.
“Both sides should understand each other’s principles and bottom lines, not make or stir up trouble or cross boundaries, (but instead) communicate more, have more dialogue and more discussions...” said Xinhua.
Despite having a productive conversation, a few hours after their meeting, President Biden surprised many people by answering a reporter’s question by saying President Xi is a “dictator.”
And during a speech Xi gave at a dinner last night with business leaders, in another effort to bolster relations between the two countries, President Xi suggested that the US could soon receive as gifts from China, some Pandas!
The two leaders agreed to continue high level diplomacy going forward.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Kamyar Moradi.