Biden-Xi meeting intended to build consensus on major world problems: White House
Nov 19, 2021
Washington [US], November 19 : The recent virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping was intended to build consensus between the two countries on major world problems, White House Coordinator on the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell said on Friday.
"[T]his was really meant as an initial conversation about areas that we think we can potentially work together, like climate change, but also make clear where our purpose and determination are clear, like on the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," Campbell said during a conversation at the US Institute of Peace, reported Sputnik.
Campbell added that the United States approach to the Indo-Pacific will remain multifaceted and not focused only on the competition with China and will also include advancement in such areas as technology, quantum computing, 5G networks and others, added Sputnik.
The meeting was held amid deteriorating relations between Beijing and Washington on several issues.
In his opening remarks, the Chinese President expressed his readiness to work with Biden to build consensus to move China-US relations forward, adding that both the countries are at critical stages of development and the "global village" of humanity faces multiple challenges.
The two leaders held a 3.5-hour virtual summit on Monday night and discussed their positions on Taiwan, the possibility of a "new Cold War," Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan and the COVID-19 pandemic.
With respect to the economy, Biden said he made clear the need to protect US workers and industries from what he said were China's unfair trade and economic practices, according to the White House, reported Sputnik.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Biden said that his administration is considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics due to alleged human rights abuses in China.
