Biden and Xi Jinping Meet Face-to-Face After One Year: "No Conflict Between Our Countries"... Talks Begin

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping began a face-to-face meeting on the 15th (local time) in Woodside near San Francisco, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being held, marking their first in-person talks in a year.

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Before the summit began, President Biden greeted President Xi outside the meeting venue in Woodside on the stairs. President Xi, who stepped out of a black limousine, appeared with a smile, and the two shook hands. This visit marks President Xi's first trip to the United States in over six years since 2017.

In his opening remarks, President Biden said, "It is an honor and a pleasure to welcome you to the United States," adding, "I value our dialogue. I believe it is most important for leaders to clearly understand each other without misunderstandings or miscommunication." He emphasized, "We must ensure that competition between our two countries does not escalate into conflict, manage it responsibly, and work together on matters we believe align with our interests."

President Xi stated, "For major countries like China and the United States, turning our backs on each other is not an option," warning that conflict between the two would lead to unbearable consequences. He assessed, "The China-U.S. relationship has never been a smooth voyage over the past 50 years. We have always faced various issues," but added, "Despite ups and downs, we have continued to move forward." Furthermore, he said, "The Earth is large enough for both countries to succeed together," and "One country's success will be an opportunity for the other."

The two leaders are expected to hold talks for about four hours, discussing bilateral issues between the U.S. and China, the Israel-Hamas war, the Ukraine war, and North Korea-Russia military cooperation. Earlier, John Kirby, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications, confirmed in a briefing that President Biden will also raise human rights issues concerning Xinjiang Uyghurs and Hong Kong during the meeting. It is also anticipated that agreements will be reached on resuming U.S.-China military dialogues, which have been suspended since then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year.

Immediately following the summit, both sides are expected to release a statement outlining the results of the talks. President Biden is also scheduled to hold a press conference locally. According to local media such as The New York Times (NYT), no separate joint statement is expected.

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