China’s Xi vows to work with Trump during meeting with Biden

Chinese President Xi Jinping told President Biden on Saturday that he will work with the incoming administration of President-elect Trump, as the two current leaders spoke on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru.

The meeting between Biden and Xi marked the first time in seven months the two had spoken, Reuters reported, and may be the last time the two meet on conflicts from cybercrime to trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea and Russia before Trump returns to the Oval Office in January 2025.

Xi told Biden, “China’s goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-U.S. relationship remains unchanged,” acknowledging the “ups and downs” between the two countries.

“China is ready to work with the new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences,” Xi said.

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Biden told Xi that maintaining leader-to-leader talks will be vital after Biden leaves office, according to national security adviser Jake Sullivan, who was seen sitting next to Biden during the meeting.

He also acknowledged to the Chinese leader that while the two of them may not have always agreed, their discussions have been “frank” and “candid.”

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China and other members of the G-20 will likely brace for a reboot of Trump’s “America First” policy, placing a heavy emphasis on higher tariffs. Trump famously launched a trade war with China in his first term in 2018, raising tariffs up to 25% on steel, aluminum and other Chinese-made products. China responded with reciprocal tariffs against the U.S. Trump promised to raise tariffs up to 60% on Chinese imports while running for president, although it’s unclear if he would actually go that high.

Biden has aimed to lessen tensions with China, but during his meeting with Xi on Saturday, there appeared to be few signs of breakthroughs on the major issues.

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Still, the two agreed that humans, not artificial intelligence, should make the ultimate decisions when it comes to the use of nuclear weapons, the White House noted, marking the first time the two countries have raised the issue.

Biden and Xi also talked about China’s ally, North Korea, which is deepening ties with Russia and even deployed troops in Moscow’s war with Ukraine. The move has raised concerns not just with Washington, but also with European capitals and Beijing.

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“President Biden pointed out that the (People’s Republic of China’s) publicly stated position with respect to the war in Ukraine is there should be no escalation, no broadening the conflict, and the introduction of (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) troops runs foursquare against that,” Sullivan said. “He also pointed out that the PRC does have influence and capacity, and should use it to try to prevent a further escalation or further expansion of the conflict with the introduction of even more DPRK forces.”

Reuters contributed to this report.