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Xi Jinping instructed 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 instructed 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 “stable on the whole”.
“China is ready to work with the US government to maintain dialogue, expand co-operation and manage differences . . . for the benefit of the two peoples,” Xi instructed his US counterpart, in accordance with the Chinese language embassy.
Biden instructed Xi that the US-China relationship was crucial “alliance”, earlier than correcting himself and saying it was the “most important relationship”, in accordance with remarks recorded by reporters who had been within the room for the preliminary greetings earlier than the beginning of the summit.
“Our two countries cannot let any of this competition veer into conflict,” Biden mentioned in one among his inventory phrases when assembly Xi. “Over the past four years I think we’ve proven it’s possible 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 language spy balloon flew over the US final yr. 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 current days, he has named individuals with powerful 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 “major country competition should not be the underlying logic of the times”. He additionally pushed again in opposition to the thought of decoupling and US measures to disclaim China superior semiconductor-related applied sciences in what is thought in Washington because the “small yard, high fence” coverage.
“‘Small yard, high fences’ is not what a major country should pursue,” Xi instructed Biden.
The assembly in Lima was the primary between the presidents since they held a summit in San Francisco a yr 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 quite a few points, together with that the US doesn’t help Taiwanese independence.
“China’s readout of the leaders’ summit in Peru left out these statements — indeed there was no mention of anything that Biden said to Xi,” mentioned Glaser. “With Biden leaving office, the Chinese know that these reassurances may no longer remain US policy.”
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, in line with the custom wherein contributors sport clothes native to the host nation.
