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Joe Biden and Xi Jinping (December 2013 in Beijing)
Photo:
Lintao Zhang / AP
US President Joe Biden and China's head of state and party Xi Jinping spoke on the phone again. Against the background of the tensions between the rival great powers, the White House spoke on Friday of a "broad, strategic discussion." Both presidents had "discussed areas where our interests collide and areas where our interests, values and perspectives diverge." Biden and Xi had agreed to "approach both catalogs of problems openly and directly." It was their first phone call in seven months.
It was also said that the US President had made it clear to his Chinese colleague that the United States would continue to endeavor "to deal responsibly with competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China." Biden underscored the US interest in peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and the rest of the world. "The two leaders discussed the responsibility of both countries to ensure that competition does not turn into conflict."
It was only the second telephone conversation between the two presidents since Biden took office in January.
Since the time of his predecessor Donald Trump, the two largest economies have been fighting a trade war with mutual punitive tariffs.
There are also differences over respect for human rights, the repression of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong, how to deal with the Muslim Uyghur minority in northwest China, China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and the Chinese threats against democratic Taiwan.
The relationship has fallen to a low point since diplomatic relations began in 1979, and Biden seems to be continuing his predecessor Trump's hard line towards China.
asa / dpa
