Biden, Xi agree to direct call, restore military communications
China-US differences take a backseat during the Biden-Xi talks
China-US differences take a backseat during the Biden-Xi talks
United States President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to call each other directly and restore their countries' military communications to avoid conflict during their talks in San Francisco on Wednesday.
The deal was sealed despite Biden's remark that Xi is a dictator and Xi warning the American leader not to arm Taiwan whose reunification with China he described as "unstoppable."
"He and I agreed that each one of us could pick up the phone, call directly and we'll be heard immediately," Biden said.
The separate move to restore
high-level US-China military-to-military communications was "critically important" to avoid possible conflicts, he added.
China severed military-to-military contacts after then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022.
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The two leaders, who shook hands and strolled in a garden at a historic California estate during their four-hour talks aimed at preventing growing tensions between the world's largest economies from spiraling into conflict, also agreed that China would crack down on the production of ingredients for the drug fentanyl, responsible for a deadly epidemic of opioid abuse in the US, hold talks on artificial intelligence, and deepen cooperation on climate change ahead of the COP 28 conference in Dubai next month.
The day of painstakingly choreographed diplomacy ended with a not-so-diplomatic remark as Biden walked offstage after his press conference.
"Well look he is," Biden said when a reporter asked if he would still say Xi was a dictator as he had in June, a remark that prompted an angry response from Beijing at the time.
"I mean he's a dictator in the sense that he's a guy who's running a country, a Communist country, that's based on a form of government totally different than ours."
After the talks Xi too had tough words for Biden, particularly on the subject of Taiwan.
"The US side should… stop arming Taiwan, and support China's peaceful reunification," Xi told Biden, according to a readout from China's foreign ministry.
"China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable."
Biden later addressed a welcome reception for the APEC forum while Xi hosted a dinner with American executives.
