The United States and China should responsibly compete in their relationship and maintain open lines of communication, Joe Biden said at a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of a possible meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to reset bilateral relations.
The President emphasised that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication. He underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges, the White House said in a readout of the meeting between Biden and Wang.
During the meeting, Sullivan and Wang held substantive discussions on key issues in the U.S.-China bilateral relationship, the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Russia and Ukraine, intercontinental transit issues and other topics, according to a National Security Council report on the meeting.
Sullivan also noted the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, but China views Taiwan as a rebellious province that should be reunited with the mainland even by force.
The two sides reaffirmed their desire to maintain this strategic channel of communication and to pursue additional high-level diplomacy, including working together towards a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November, said the readout.
The U.S. and China have one of the most crucial bilateral policies in the world. Since 1949, the countries have seen periods of both tension and cooperation on issues such as trade, climate change, the South China Sea, Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden is keen to mend relations, particularly after the Chinese surveillance balloon incident in February this year.
