According to a white house press statement, President Biden told his Chinese counterpart of the continued determination of the United States to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific region. Biden reiterated the importance of freedom of navigation and safe overflight to the region’s prosperity, the readout said. In their first face to face virtual meeting that lasted for more than three hours, both the leaders tried to emphasize on their personal relationship and tried to find ways to work with each other and avoiding conflict and jointly responding to global challenges such as climate change and energy security.
They also traded strong warnings on the future of Taiwan, with President Xi saying that those backing Taiwan were “playing with fire”. The White House readout reiterated the longstanding US policy that does not recognize Taiwan’s independence but supports the defense of the island. President Joe Biden said the US remains committed to the “one China” policy but “strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”. The meeting was held against the backdrop of deteriorating relations and mounting tensions between the US and China.
Biden had raised concerns about human rights, including the situation in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, China’s “unfair” trade practices and its aggressive behavior across the Indo-Pacific. He pointed to the need for “common-sense guardrails to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and to keep lines of communication open”. Mr. Xi said the two countries needed to improve "communication" and face challenges "together". The two leaders also discussed climate change issues, health security and global energy security. Biden and Xi also exchanged views on key regional challenges, including Korean peninsula, Afghanistan and Iranian nuclear issue.
Dr. Huiyao Wang, who is a counsellor at China's state council and head of a prominent Chinese think tank Centre for China and Globalization said, “I don't expect this one summit could bring us back to the good old days at once, but it can stop the downward spiral in the relations.” He added that the high-level diplomats of both sides were instructed to meet again to discuss trade, climate change, global governance and many other issues, including Afghanistan and other geopolitical issues.
