Biden and Xi hold a virtual summit and reduce tensions between the United States and China

By Lauren Egan -

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden met virtually with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday night, in a conversation that the White House said did not lead to any breakthrough in the U.S.-China relationship, but did take a step forward. towards the management of a relationship that has become increasingly hostile.

In a statement after the meeting, the White House said Biden raised concerns about Beijing's crackdown on the Hong Kong democracy movement, China's abuses against Muslim Uighurs in Xinjiang, as well as human rights in general.

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The two leaders also discussed Taiwan extensively.

The White House said Biden underscored the United States' commitment to the "one China" policy, but was direct about his concern that Beijing's moves toward self-governing democracy were increasingly at odds with the status quo.

According to Chinese state media, Xi warned Biden that the United States was "playing with fire" regarding Taiwan and that, although Beijing was seeking peaceful "reunification" with the island, it was prepared to take "decisive action" against the independence of Taiwan.

In a call with journalists, a senior administration official described the meeting as "respectful," "direct," and "open."

"The meeting itself consisted of the two leaders discussing ways to manage competition between the United States and China responsibly and ways to build bridges for that competition," the official said.

"That was a theme throughout the conversation," he added.

The Global Times, a state-backed Chinese tabloid, reported that the meeting "injected certainty" into the US-China relationship and showed that while the two countries cannot avoid competition, there are also many areas of cooperation.

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Biden had spoken to Xi by phone twice since taking office, but Monday was the first time the two leaders met in a more formal setting.

The White House had hoped to hold the meeting in person, but Xi has not left China since January 2020, when the coronavirus began to spread.

"Meeting virtually is not exactly the same as meeting in person, but it was certainly very different from a simple phone call," said senior Administration official Biden.

"The two leaders had an important return of impressions and a great capacity for interaction between them," he explained.

In this photo released by the Xinhua news agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, in Beijing, and US President Joe Biden, in Washington, greet each other on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, during a virtual meeting. Yue Yuewei / AP

The relationship between the United States and China has grown increasingly strained in recent years.

The two countries launched into a trade war under the Trump administration, and Biden took a tough stance on China during his campaign for the presidency, calling Xi a "bully."

The Chinese leader has repeatedly celebrated what he says is America's waning power, saying that "the East is rising and the West is declining."

Biden and Xi, who spoke to each other on Monday through interpreters, shared conciliatory words as they sat down for their three-and-a-half-hour video conference.

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"It seems to me that our responsibility as leaders of China and the United States is to ensure that competition between our countries does not drift into conflict, whether intentional or not," said Biden in his opening speech, seated at a table in the Chamber. Roosevelt.

Xi called Biden an "old friend" - the two leaders traveled together when they were both vice presidents of their respective nations - and said their countries should "increase communication and cooperation."

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"China and the United States must respect each other, coexist in peace and pursue win-win cooperation," Xi said from a room in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Officials from the Biden Administration had downplayed expectations ahead of the meeting, telling reporters that the meeting was aimed at opening channels of communication between the two leaders, rather than producing concrete results.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained Monday that Biden felt he was coming to the meeting from a "position of strength" after his trip abroad last month to the Group of 20 summit in Rome, in Italy, and to the UN climate conference in Scotland, which Xi did not attend in person.

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Psaki said the passage of the infrastructure bill, which Biden signed into law Monday afternoon, also strengthened the president's position.

"This infrastructure bill is essential and important for many reasons, but one of them is: for the first time in 20 years we are going to invest more in infrastructure than China," Psaki said.

In the call with reporters, the senior administration official said Biden pressured Xi to go ahead with the "phase one" trade deal that China reached with the Trump Administration.

Biden also brought up the coronavirus pandemic and communicated the "important role that transparency plays" in addressing global health, according to the official.

Xinhua, China's state news agency, said Xi told Biden that economic and trade relations between the United States and China were "mutually beneficial in nature" and should not be politicized.

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The United States "should stop abusing or exaggerating the concept of national security to repress Chinese companies," in an apparent reference to the restrictions imposed by the US government on Chinese technology companies such as Huawei.

The relationship between Beijing and Washington got off to a rocky start under the Biden administration, after top diplomats from the United States and China had a public confrontation in front of journalists during a meeting in Alaska in March.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Beijing for its growing authoritarianism, while Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi accused Washington of hypocrisy on human rights.

Blinken and Yang participated in Monday's meeting.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, as well as National Security Advisers Kurt Campbell, Laura Rosenberger and Jon Czin also joined the meeting.

China plans to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February.

It had been rumored that Xi would use Monday's meeting to invite Biden to attend the event, but a senior administration official said it was not discussed.