Chinese President Xi Jinping with his US counterpart Joe Biden
By Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi, November 16: Chinese President Xi Jinping spelt out red lines in summit meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden. Xi asked Biden not cross the red lines, and avoid “flip-flopping, being provocative, and crossing the lines”.
In the first meeting after last year’s Bali meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, Xi bluntly protested against the Chinese perception that the US was leading efforts to contain China. Xi also asked Biden to refrain from meddling in the affairs of Taiwan.
“China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces. It is important that the U.S. side take China’s concerns seriously and adopt tangible steps to lift its unilateral sanctions so as to provide an equal, fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses,” Xi was quoted by Chinese foreign ministry having told Biden during the summit meeting in San Francisco.
Xi also stated that the “US actions against China regarding export control, investment screening and unilateral sanctions seriously hurt Chinese legitimate interests”. “Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development. President Xi pointed out that the Taiwan question remains the most important and most sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations,” said Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson in a post on X.
Xi was also quoted having told Biden that “the US side should take real actions to honour its commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable”.
China claimed in its post-summit statement that “both agreed that their meeting was comprehensive and constructive. It has charted the course for improving and developing China-U.S. relations. And San Francisco should be a new starting point for stabilizing China-U.S. relations”.
Xi-Biden Summit took place amid intense efforts on both sides to work the communication channel after the bilateral relations nose-dived following the visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan as the Speaker of the US House Congress. Subsequently, the US shot down alleged spy balloons over the its and Canadian skyline. The summit was preceded by high level exchange of visits, including bipartisan Congressional delegation.
“They stressed the importance of all countries treating each other with respect and finding a way to live alongside each other peacefully, and of maintaining open lines of communication, preventing conflict, upholding the UN Charter, cooperating on areas of shared interest, and responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship. The leaders welcomed continued discussions in this regard,” China said on the outcome of the summit meeting.
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