Xi Jinping to Joe Biden: US' China policy has worsened bilateral ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping in a telephone call with his American counterpart said that US policy has resulted in "serious difficulties in bilateral relations" and runs counter to fundamental interests of the people in both countries and the common interests of all countries as well, state media reported on Friday.

If both countries confront each other, the world will suffer, but if both countries work together, the world will benefit, Xi said as reported in The Global Times.

The question of how to maintain good ties between China and the US is to be answered, rather than an option, the Chinese President was quoted as saying.

On the invite of US president Joe Biden, Xi held a "candid, thorough and broad strategic communication and exchanges on China-US relations and issues of mutual interest," the Chinese state media reported.

Xi stressed that relations between China and US should be "brought back to the right track of development as soon as possible" and that the two sides should continue their dialogue on climate change, epidemic prevention and the global economic recovery, while "respecting differences".

Meanwhile, a White House statement said that Joe Biden spoke with Xi Jinping and discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure that "competition" between the two powers does not turn into "conflict". Both the leaders also agreed to engage on both sets of issues "openly and straightforwardly", it said.

The US has no intention to change the one-China principle, and it's ready to engage in more candid exchanges with China to identify priorities for bilateral cooperation to avoid misunderstanding, miscalculation and accidental conflict and bring bilateral ties back on track, Biden said.
The US looks forward to strengthening communication and cooperation with China on climate change and other important issues, he added.

In the first call between the two leaders since the one in February after Biden took over from Trump, the two leaders also agreed to engage on both sets of issues "openly and straightforwardly".

"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The two leaders had a broad, strategic discussion in which they discussed areas where our interests converge, and areas where our interests, values, and perspectives diverge. They agreed to engage on both sets of issues openly and straightforwardly," the White House said in a statement.

"This discussion, as President Biden made clear, was part of the United States' ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the PRC," read the White House statement.

"President Biden underscored the United States' enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict," it added.

(ANI)