US and China first phone call in two years deemed constructive despite ‘negative factors’

Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have discussed Taiwan, Ukraine, artificial intelligence and climate change in a call lasting almost two hours that both sides described as candid and constructive. It was the two leaders’ first direct engagement since they met in San Francisco in November and their first phone call in two years.

Mr Xi told Mr Biden that the relationship between China and the United States was beginning to stabilise but that “the negative factors of the relationship” had also been growing. He identified Taiwan as the first red line that must not be crossed in the US-China relationship but also warned Mr Biden about the consequences of Washington’s curbs on the export of high-end technology to China.

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“The US side has adopted a string of measures to suppress China’s trade and technology development, and is adding more and more Chinese entities to its sanctions lists. This is not ‘de-risking,’ but creating risks. If the US side is willing to seek mutually beneficial co-operation and share in China’s development dividends, it will always find China’s door open; but if it is adamant on containing China’s high-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, China is not going to sit back and watch,” the Chinese readout of the meeting said.

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The White House said Mr Biden emphasised that the US would continue to take “necessary actions to prevent advanced US technologies from being used to undermine our national security” without unduly limiting trade and investment. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the president also expressed to Mr Xi Washington’s concerns about the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is the subject of legislation that could force its sale.

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“He made it clear to President Xi that this was not about a ban of the application, but rather our interest in divestiture so that the national security interests, and the data security of the American people can be protected,” Mr Kirby said.

US treasury secretary Janet Yellen is visiting China this week and secretary of state Antony Blinken is expected to come to Beijing in the coming weeks. And bilateral Maritime Military Consultative Agreement talks, which have been suspended since 2022, will resume in Honolulu this week.

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China cut off military-to-military communication channels with the US after former House speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022 but they were restored after the San Francisco summit. China is co-operating with the US on halting the export of chemicals used to manufacture the synthetic drug fentanyl and the two countries will hold a dialogue in the coming weeks on regulating artificial intelligence technology.

The call between Mr Biden and Mr Xi came ahead of joint US military exercises with Japan and the Philippines this weekend and the leaders of the three countries meet in Washington next week. Tensions between Beijing and Manila over disputed territorial waters in the South China have heightened in recent weeks as Chinese forces used water cannon on Philippines vessels.

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