Biden and Xi make extensive calls, ‘cautiously improving relationship’

NOS News•today, 9:52 PM

US President Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi have spoken extensively for the first time since November. In a telephone conversation they talked about Taiwan, artificial intelligence and security. With the contact they show that they want to strengthen ties and return to regular consultation at the highest level.

Since November, the armies of both countries have had more contact with each other. Agreements have also since been made to cooperate more closely to reduce the supply of large quantities of the addictive painkiller fentanyl from China.

The White House speaks of a frank and fruitful conversation. China says the relationship is slowly stabilizing.

Xi Jinping urged Biden to adopt “no conflict, no confrontation” as the starting point for the coming year. “Stability should be the priority, not provoking trouble, not crossing borders, but maintaining stability in the China-US relationship,” Xi said, according to Chinese state television.

The telephone conversation is the prelude to a number of bilateral meetings. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to China on Thursday and Secretary of State Blinken will also visit Beijing in the coming weeks.

Biden has pushed for sustained exchange at the government level. According to him, this is the key to preventing escalation between the two nuclear and economic superpowers. Both leaders agree that it is valuable to have more frequent contact with each other.

The two also discussed Taiwan, where Lai Ching-te will become president next month. He has promised to guarantee his country’s independence from China and to work with other democracies. Biden has reiterated his opposition to China’s push to bring Taiwan under Beijing’s control.

China views Taiwan as a renegade region and has strongly protested US support for the island. China will not tolerate “separatist activities” in Taiwan, nor will it tolerate foreign support for it.

Biden also emphasized the importance of peace and stability in the South China Sea.

In a few weeks, the countries will hold discussions about the opportunities and risks of AI. Both countries agreed to a UN resolution on artificial intelligence two weeks ago. This states, among other things, that care must be taken to ensure that AI does not have a negative impact on privacy and human rights, among other things.

Biden also warned Xi about Chinese interference in the US elections and cyber attacks on essential US infrastructure. He also expressed his concerns about human rights in China and the military relationship with Russia.

Biden and Xi also discussed their economic interests, with the US president saying he wants to continue restricting exports of advanced technology to China. Xi complained that the list of Chinese companies that the US is banning is getting longer.