Biden and Xi speak by phone about Taiwan and technology to reduce Sino-American tension

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, spoke by phone this Tuesday (2). The conversation revolved around Taiwan and the technological rivalry between the countries, in an attempt to maintain dialogue despite tensions between the two superpowers.

This is the first direct dialogue between the two leaders since a summit held in November in California, marked by a thaw in tone, but not in the long-term rivalry between the world’s two largest economies.

It was a “sincere and in-depth exchange” on matters of common interest, Chinese state television CCTV reported.

In a statement, the White House said the conversation focused as much on possibilities for “cooperation” as on “differences.”

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will go to China “in the next few days” and the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, “in the next few weeks” to continue the dialogue, a White House official announced.

The dialogue was not intended to make “announcements”, but rather “to take stock” after the California summit, he said.

China and the United States went through a period of very strong tension in early 2023, when a Chinese balloon flew over American territory.

– “Intense diplomacy” –

“Intense competition requires intense diplomacy to manage tensions, address misperceptions and avoid unwanted conflicts. And this phone call is a way of doing that”, explained the Executive employee, speaking anonymously.

Despite the thaw, there is no sign of a rapprochement in official press releases published by both sides.

Especially when it comes to Taiwan.

Biden “highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, as well as the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea” after the recent incidents, the White House noted.

In the phone call, Xi told Biden that Taiwan remains an “insurmountable red line” for China, according to the official Xinhua news agency. “We will not allow separatist activities or external interference supporting ‘Taiwan independence’ forces to go unchecked,” she declared.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

Washington supports it militarily, but opposes any change by force of the status quo.

Biden also expressed his “concern” about the economic and industrial support that Beijing offers Moscow, according to the White House.

– Technological restriction –

“After a while we really saw the People’s Republic of China start to help rebuild Russia’s defense industrial base”, which was exhausted after the invasion of Ukraine, he declared.

Another complicated issue is the restrictions that Washington has imposed on some cutting-edge technological exports to China.

Xi Jinping considers them an attempt to undermine his country’s technological development and told his counterpart that Beijing will not “stand idly by” in the face of restrictions.

The Chinese president emphasized that the “United States has launched an endless series of measures to suppress China’s economy, trade, science and technology, and the list of sanctions against Chinese companies is increasingly long,” according to Xinhua .

The warning did not resonate with his interlocutor.

The United States “will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced American technologies from being used to undermine” national security, Biden said, according to the White House.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby revealed that President Biden also reiterated his desire for TikTok to change ownership.

“The president reiterated our concerns about the ownership of TikTok,” John Kirby told reporters.

In addition to the tension issues, China and the United States intend to continue cooperating whenever possible, according to the commitment made at the November summit.

The American official mentioned in particular cooperation in artificial intelligence and the fight against drug trafficking, as well as the desire to reestablish regular military communications.

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