A historic meeting between U.S. and Chinese leaders began at a historic estate in the San Francisco area.
On Wednesday, November 15, US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held their first face-to-face meeting in more than a year amid tensions between the two major countries.
ABC News reports.
For security reasons, the two leaders are holding talks at a historic estate in the San Francisco area near the site of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week.
During the greeting, both leaders smiled and shook hands. Biden walked out to the threshold of the estate to meet his Chinese counterpart, after which both immediately went inside without addressing the press.
The delegations sat at a large negotiating table.
What Biden said
“I appreciate our conversation because I think it is most important that there is a clear understanding of each other without misconceptions or miscommunication. We have to make sure that competition doesn't turn into conflict,” Biden said first, as the host.
Noting his personal history with Xi Jinping, Biden expressed his gratitude for “direct and frank” discussions in the past.
“We have not always agreed, which is not surprising, but our meetings have always been frank, direct and helpful. I have never doubted what you told me in terms of your candor,” Biden told Xi Jinping.
What Xi Jinping said
The Chinese leader responded by noting that the conflict and confrontation between the United States and China could have “unbearable consequences for both sides.”
“For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their backs on each other is not an option,” he stressed.
Xi Jinping recognized as an objective fact that “China and the United States differ in history, culture, social structure and development paths.”
“However, as long as they [the US and China] respect each other, coexist in peace and strive for mutually beneficial cooperation, they will be quite capable of rising above their differences and finding the right way for two large countries to get along with each other. I firmly believe in the promising future of bilateral relations,” the Chinese leader emphasized.
Xi Jinping said he was looking forward to an “in-depth exchange of views.”
After this, the cameras and journalists were taken out of the room.
Let us recall that earlier US Presidential National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that during the meeting between Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which will take place on November 15, the main topic will be the restoration of military ties between the two states at the highest level.
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