White House: Biden Supports "One China"... Also Exchanges Views on North Korea Policy

Concerns Raised Over China's Human Rights and Trade Practices
Discussions Also Held on Climate Change and Energy Supply Crisis Response

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] U.S. President Joe Biden raised sharp conflict issues such as Taiwan and human rights during a virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 15th (local time, June 16 in China), the White House announced.

However, he also mentioned the need to establish safeguards to prevent competition from escalating into conflict. The North Korea issue was also discussed.

In a press release on the summit, the White House stated that the two leaders discussed the importance of responsibly managing competition, covering areas of mutual interest as well as those where their understandings differ.

Regarding the core conflict issue of Taiwan, President Biden reaffirmed that the U.S. maintains its "One China" policy. However, the White House said Biden emphasized strong opposition to any unilateral actions that change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait or undermine peace and stability.

He also raised concerns about China’s practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, as well as broader human rights issues. The need to protect American workers and industries from China’s unfair trade and economic practices was also clearly stated.

President Biden discussed the importance of a free and open Indo-Pacific and emphasized freedom of navigation and overflight as key to the region’s prosperity.

Biden also mentioned the importance of managing strategic risks between the two countries. The White House noted that he highlighted the need for common-sense guardrails to maintain communication channels and prevent competition from turning into conflict.

The two leaders also discussed the critical roles of the U.S. and China in addressing climate change and the necessity of measures to resolve the international energy supply shortage.

The White House said the two leaders exchanged views on regional key challenges, including North Korea, Afghanistan, and Iran.

They also discussed ways to continue dialogue across multiple fields, with President Biden emphasizing the importance of substantive and concrete conversations, the White House added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.