Biden-Xi Jinping negotiations results
The meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping concluded in San Francisco. Biden has already characterized the talks as significant progress.
General impressions from the summit
President Joe Biden announced on social media platform X that significant progress was achieved during the meeting. However, CNN sources noted that there was no joint declaration on cooperation or a common statement resulting from the talks.
Despite this, they described the tone of the discussions as respectful but frank.
Meanwhile, Xi urged the United States not to plan to suppress or restrain China.
"China has no plans to surpass or unseat the United States, and the United States should not scheme to suppress or contain China," he said.
During a press conference summarizing the meeting, Biden stated that the U.S. would continue to compete with the People's Republic of China but would do so responsibly to avoid unintended conflict.
What was said about Ukraine
During the press conference, Biden said that he and Xi exchanged views on regional and global issues including Russia's refusal to end its war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Restoration of military cooperation
The leaders agreed to restore high-level military cooperation between the two countries based on equality and respect. Both sides will also resume meetings between their defense ministries, consultations on maritime military security, and initiate negotiations between commanders.
Additionally, as reported by CNN citing an unnamed official, Biden called on China to be more transparent in the development of its nuclear capabilities and to monitor the development of artificial intelligence.
The Taiwan issue
During the conversation, Xi called for the cessation of providing weapons to Taiwan and urged support for the reunification of China with the island. Additionally, he expressed hope that Biden would lift unilateral sanctions imposed on China.
Xi stated that China prefers peaceful reunification and outlined conditions under which force would be applied. In response, Biden reiterated the U.S. position in favor of peace and stability in the region.
"Look, peace is all well and good, but at some point we need to move towards resolution more generally," Xi responded.
Furthermore, during the meeting, the U.S. asked China to respect the electoral process in Taiwan ahead of the January vote.
Tension in the Middle East
Biden urged Xi to use China's leverage on Iran to prevent broader escalation in the region. During the talks, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned that they had already discussed this issue with the Iranians.
Later, Biden's aides stated that it remained unclear how seriously Iran had taken China's message.
Anti-drug efforts
A senior U.S. official told CNN that China has agreed to pursue companies producing chemical precursors of fentanyl, a powerful opioid that has fueled the drug crisis in the United States. The United States will closely monitor whether China adheres to the commitments made at the summit.