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Xi Jinping informed Joe Biden that China was ready to work with the brand new administration of Donald Trump to handle variations in his closing assembly together with his US counterpart.
The Chinese language and US presidents met on the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation discussion board in Lima on Saturday. The Chinese language embassy in Washington mentioned Xi informed Biden that bilateral ties had seen “ups and downs” over the previous 4 years, however the nations had “engaged in fruitful dialogue and co-operation” and the connection was “secure on the entire”.
“China is able to work with the US authorities to keep up dialogue, increase co-operation and handle variations . . . for the advantage of the 2 peoples,” Xi informed his US counterpart, in response to the Chinese language embassy.
Biden informed Xi that the US-China relationship was crucial “alliance”, earlier than correcting himself and saying it was the “most essential relationship”, in response to remarks recorded by reporters who had been within the room for the preliminary greetings earlier than the beginning of the summit.
“Our two nations can’t let any of this competitors veer into battle,” Biden mentioned in considered one of his inventory phrases when assembly Xi. “Over the previous 4 years I believe we’ve confirmed it’s attainable to have this relationship.”
Relations between the US and China plummeted over the previous 4 years, reaching their lowest degree in a long time when then US Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022 and a Chinese spy balloon flew over the US final 12 months. Relations have since stabilised, however the superpowers stay at odds over many points.
The assembly comes two months earlier than Trump will return as president. In latest days, he has named individuals with robust stances on China for high positions, together with Florida congressman Mike Waltz for nationwide safety adviser and Florida senator Marco Rubio for secretary of state.
However consultants are ready to see if Elon Musk — who has change into near Trump and who produces and sells Tesla vehicles in China — will urge the president to take a softer method in direction of Beijing.
Whereas Xi repeated his mantra that China needs to have work with the US, he mentioned “main nation competitors shouldn’t be the underlying logic of the occasions”. He additionally pushed again in opposition to the concept of decoupling and US measures to disclaim China superior semiconductor-related applied sciences in what is understood in Washington because the “small yard, excessive fence” coverage.
“‘Small yard, excessive fences’ is just not what a significant nation ought to pursue,” Xi informed Biden.
The assembly in Lima was the primary between the presidents since they held a summit in San Francisco a 12 months in the past on the final Apec discussion board.
Bonnie Glaser, a China knowledgeable on the German Marshall Fund, famous that earlier Chinese language readouts about Xi-Biden conferences included references to non-public statements by Biden that included reassurances on numerous points, together with that the US doesn’t help Taiwanese independence.
“China’s readout of the leaders’ summit in Peru disregarded these statements — certainly there was no point out of something that Biden mentioned to Xi,” mentioned Glaser. “With Biden leaving workplace, the Chinese language know that these reassurances might not stay US coverage.”
Biden and Xi held bilateral conferences with different Apec leaders forward of their summit on Saturday afternoon, and each males met their Japanese and South Korean counterparts. Xi additionally met his counterparts from New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, and Chile. Biden met Lin Hsin-I, Taiwan’s consultant to the discussion board, who invited the US president to go to Taiwan.
Within the group {photograph} from the summit taken on Saturday, Xi appeared entrance and centre, whereas Biden stood to the facet. All leaders had been sporting conventional Peruvian vicuña wool scarves, consistent with the custom during which members sport clothes native to the host nation.
