LIMA, Peru (AP) – Chinese leader Xi Jinping last met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday, but he is already eyeing President-elect Donald Trump and his “America First” policy, and China The government said it was “ready to cooperate.” It’s the new US administration. ”
During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation annual summit in the Peruvian capital, Biden urged Xi to discourage North Korea from further supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine. It was expected that he would ask for it.
In focus: The future of US-China relations after Biden and Xi’s last meeting
Without mentioning President Trump by name, President Xi appeared to express concern that the president-elect’s protectionist comments during his election campaign could plunge U.S.-China relations into a new trough.
“China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation, manage differences, and strive for a steady transition in Sino-U.S. relations for the benefit of the two peoples,” Xi said through an interpreter. “There is,” he said.
Xi warned that stable China-US relations are important not only for the two countries but also for “the future and destiny of humanity.”
“Choose wisely,” he said. “Please continue to look for the right way for the two superpowers to get along with each other.”
Mr. Xi, who has firmly established himself at the top of China’s political hierarchy, spoke powerfully in a short speech to reporters. Biden, who is ending more than 50 years in public service, spoke in broad strokes about the future of bilateral relations. He reflected not only on the past four years, but also on the decades they had known each other.
“We didn’t always agree, but our conversations were always candid, always candid. We never made fun of each other,” Biden said. “These conversations will prevent miscalculations and ensure that competition between the two countries escalates into conflict.”
Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi, with senior aides surrounding them, gathered around a long rectangular table in a vast conference room at the Defines Hotel and Conference Center in Lima.
China “hosted” the meeting after Xi and Biden met last year on the sidelines of APEC in Northern California, a U.S.-sponsored meeting. There was much to discuss, including , Taiwan, and our own country – a governing democracy that the Chinese government claims as its own.
There is much uncertainty about the future direction of U.S.-China relations under President Trump, who has pledged to impose 60% tariffs on imports from China.
WATCH: See how President Trump’s tariff hike plans will affect U.S. workers and consumers
Already, many American companies, including Nike and eyewear retailer Warby Parker, are diversifying their sourcing away from China. Shoe brand Steve Madden has announced plans to cut imports from China by up to 45% next year.
In a congratulatory message to Trump on his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, President Xi called on the United States and China to manage their differences and get along in the new era. On Saturday, Mr. Xi spoke with Mr. Biden on camera, but it was unmistakable that his message was directed at Mr. Trump.
“While the scientific and technological revolution is flourishing, neither decoupling nor supply chain disruption is a solution,” Xi said. “Only mutually beneficial cooperation can lead to common development. ‘Narrow yard, high fence’ is not what great powers should pursue.”
After being welcomed by Mr. Xi, Mr. Biden ignored a barrage of questions from reporters about his concerns about the incoming Trump administration and North Korea. The leaders also did not interact with reporters after they made brief comments at the beginning of the meeting.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden administration officials have told the Trump team that dealing with intense competition from China is likely to be the biggest foreign policy challenge it faces. He said he would advise.
Read more: What the Biden administration is looking to accomplish before President Trump takes over the White House
Mr. Biden views his relationship with Mr. Xi as one of the most important on the international stage and has made great efforts to develop that relationship. The two first met when they traveled to the United States and China when they were vice presidents, and their interaction left an unforgettable impression.
“For more than a decade, you and I have spent a lot of time together, here, in China, and everywhere in between,” Biden said. “We’ve spent a lot of time on these issues.”
But the past four years have been filled with a steady stream of difficult moments.
The FBI this week revealed new details in its federal investigation into the Chinese government’s hacking efforts against U.S. communications networks. Initial findings reveal a “widespread and significant” cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans working in government and politics.
U.S. intelligence officials also say China is ramping up sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology used by Russia to make missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weapons used in its war against Ukraine. It is evaluated that it is
And tensions escalated last year when Biden ordered the downing of a Chinese reconnaissance balloon that crossed the United States.
Biden expects Xi to step up China’s engagement to prevent the already dangerous situation with North Korea from escalating further.
Biden, South Korean President Yun Seok-yew and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Friday that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un will send thousands of troops to help repel Ukrainian forces that have seized territory in Russia’s Kursk border region. He criticized the committee chairman’s decision.
Biden called this “dangerous and destabilizing cooperation.”
White House officials have expressed frustration that Beijing, which accounts for the lion’s share of North Korea’s trade, is not doing more to rein in Pyongyang.
North Korea also supplies Russia with artillery and other ammunition, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials. The United States, Japan, and South Korea have also expressed alarm over North Korea’s increasing pace of ballistic missile tests.
Mr. Kim ordered test exercises in the run-up to this month’s U.S. presidential election and claims he has made progress in efforts to build the ability to strike the U.S. mainland.
Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden started their day at the APEC summit’s summit retreat, where they all posed for a photo wearing scarves made from the fur of the vicuña, Peru’s iconic animal. Leaders of these gatherings are usually presented with traditional costumes from the host country, which they typically wear for photos.
Long report from Washington. Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
