Biden, China’s Xi Jinping seek to ease tensions in virtual meeting

U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping struck a conciliatory tone and vowed to ensure their competition doesn’t “veer into conflict” in their three-hour online meeting on Monday night. It marks one of their most significant conversations since Biden took office amid mounting tensions.

What did they discuss? A White House statement said Biden expressed concern over China’s human rights practices in Xinjiang and Hong Kong and emphasized his plans to “protect American workers and industries from the PRC’s unfair trade and economic practices.” They also discussed their top regional issues, including with North Korea, Afghanistan, and Iran. Xi cautioned that supporting Taiwan’s independence would be like “playing with fire," according to China’s news agency. Biden had previously criticized Beijing’s growing military aggression on the island and told Xi on Monday that he would abide by the “one China” policy acknowledging Taiwan is part of China. But he added that he opposed any efforts to change the “status quo” in the region. Xi echoed Biden’s call for improved relations, saying, “China and the U.S. need to increase communication and cooperation.”

Dig deeper: Read June Cheng’s WORLD Magazine report on the battle of doing business in China.