Xi Jinping and Joe Biden spoke on the phone on Tuesday, signaling their desire to maintain dialogue despite the still very strong tensions between the two superpowers, whether over Taiwan or their technological rivalry.
For this resumption of contact since their summit meeting last November in California, the Chinese president and the American president “had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on Sino-American relations and on issues of common interest to both parties,” said public television channel CCTV.
The White House mentioned in a press release a conversation focusing as much on the possibilities of “cooperation” as on “differences”. American Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will go to China “in the coming days”, and the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken will go there “in the coming weeks” in order to continue the dialogue, announced a senior House official. -White.
This source, who requested anonymity, indicated that the conversation was aimed at “taking stock” after their summit last November. This four-hour meeting in a plush residence about forty kilometers from San Francisco made it possible to renew the dialogue between the two powers.
Chinese balloon
China and the United States went through a period of very strong tension at the start of 2023, linked to the flight over American territory by a Chinese balloon. “Intense competition requires intense diplomatic activity to manage tensions, address misunderstandings and avoid unwanted confrontation. This phone call is one way of doing that,” explained the American official during an interview with the press.
The weather is thawing, therefore, but there is no excessive heat coming from the official press releases published on both sides. Particularly when it comes to Taiwan. Joe Biden, according to the White House, called for “peace and stability” around the island which is preparing to take over a new president. The democrat also called for respect for the “right and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea”, after recent incidents involving the Philippines in particular.
“The Taiwan question is the first impassable red line in Sino-American relations”
“The Taiwan question is the first impassable red line in Sino-American relations,” said the official Xinhua news agency, reporting Xi Jinping’s remarks. “We will not allow separatist activities or external collusion supporting the ‘Taiwan independence’ forces to go unchecked,” she added.
The United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, of which Beijing claims sovereignty, but it provides military support and opposes any change to the status quo by force. Joe Biden also expressed his “concern” about the economic and industrial support that Beijing offers to Moscow, according to the White House.
“Don’t sit back”
“As time has gone on, we have really seen China move to help Russia rebuild its defense industrial base,” explained the senior official cited above. Another contentious subject, and not the least: the measures taken by Joe Biden to limit exports to China of certain advanced technologies, which Washington fears could be used for military purposes.
Xi Jinping, who sees this as a desire to undermine Chinese technological development, made it clear to his counterpart that Beijing would not “stand idly by” in the face of these restrictions.
The warning did not have much effect on the American president, who according to the White House intends to “continue to make the necessary decisions to prevent cutting-edge American technologies from being used in ways that compromise the national security” of States. -United.
Beyond the subjects of tension, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, however, renewed their intention to cooperate in artificial intelligence and the fight against drug trafficking, while establishing regular military communications.