US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that the two countries should manage their differences, find new cooperation opportunities and determine the right route in their relations, during their face-to-face meeting in Bali, Indonesia, where they came for the G20 Summit.
THEY MEET FACE TO FACE FOR THE FIRST TIME
The meeting was the two leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office earlier last year.
In the meeting, which coincided with the period when the global power competition and tensions between the USA and China increased, wishes and messages for the positive direction of relations came to the fore.
Biden started the meeting by shaking his Chinese counterpart’s hand, noting that the two countries should avoid conflict, pointing out that the US and Chinese leaders “have a responsibility to manage their differences and find new opportunities for cooperation”.
Xi stressed that the two leaders “must set the right course” in China-US relations. Expressing that he is ready to exchange sincere views with Biden on global and regional issues, Xi underlined that it would be in the interests of both countries and the world for China-US relations to re-enter healthy and stable growth.
THEY DID NOT MENTION THE ISSUES OF DISPUTE
In the first statements made after the meeting, it was noteworthy that the issues of tension between the two countries such as Taiwan, human rights, economic competition, the Ukraine War, attitude towards Russia and the threat of North Korea were not mentioned.
STATEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOME
The White House announced that the meeting between Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi was “candid” and that US Secretary of State Blinken will visit Beijing. During the meeting, it was noted that Biden made it clear to Xi that the US policy in Taiwan has not changed.
THEY GATHERED FOR THE FIRST TIME AS THE LEADER OF THE COUNTRY
The leaders had previously held face-to-face meetings when both were counterparts as vice presidents. However, the parties had only met twice online and once on the phone since Biden took office at the beginning of last year, never meeting.
After the start of the Kovid-19 epidemic, Chinese President Xi suspended his foreign visits for about 2.5 years and avoided face-to-face diplomacy.
Xi hosted Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Beijing for the first time in July, made his first overseas visit to Kazakhstan in September, and then went to Uzbekistan and attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit.