US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to restore some military communications between the two countries after they held a crucial meeting for hours at Filoli Estate just outside San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
A number of agreements were signed between the two leaders, who met after almost a year amid fraught relations between the two most powerful economies. They pledged cooperation that would bring Washington and Beijing close to resuming talks under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement, which was used to improve safety in the air and sea until 2020.
The restoration of military communication means that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will speak with his Chinese counterpart once someone is named to the job, according to a US official. “That’s been cut off. That’s been worrisome…So we’re back to direct, open, clear, direct communication,” said Biden in a news conference after his meeting with Xi, adding that the meeting included some of the “most constructive and productive discussions”.
He also said that they would keep the channels of communication open and that Xi is “willing to pick up the phone”, in a sign of possible thaw in US-China relations. Meanwhile, Xi promised to send new pandas to the US and said that he wanted to “deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples”.
In the context of global conflicts, Biden asked his Chinese counterpart to use his influence to calm down major geopolitical tensions, particularly by pressuring Iran to not expand the ongoing Israel-Hamas war into a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Biden reportedly also pressed Xi to continue to withhold military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “I value our conversation because I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication,” said the US President to Xi.
In response, the Chinese President said, “Conflict and confrontation have unbearable consequences for both sides…Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.”
Biden reportedly told Xi that he does not seek a new Cold War against the country, nor does the US seek a change in China’s system. He also reiterated that America has no intention to halt China’s economic development or to contain China, nor to seek “de-coupling” from China
“China has no plans to surpass or unseat the United States, and the United States should not scheme to suppress or contain China,” Xi said during the meeting, according to a readout by news agency Xinhua, in the context of the challenges in the US-China relationship over the years.
“China is consistently committed to having a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the United States, and China has interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed,” Xi further said.
