Amid tensions in recent months, Biden is speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping

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“The two leaders had a broad strategic debate in which they discussed areas where our interests converge and areas where our interests, values ​​and perspectives diverge,” said a reading of the call, provided by the White House. “They agreed to engage with both sets of issues in an open and direct manner. This discussion, as President Biden made clear, was part of the United States’ ongoing effort to responsibly manage competition between the United States and the United States. RPC “.

Biden addressed cyber issues during the roughly 90-minute conversation and generally tried to have a “broad and strategic debate” on how to manage the competitive US-China relationship to avoid conflict, according to a senior administration official who spoke to reporters. before and after the call. The official described as “respectful” and “familiar and frank” the tone of the call, which Biden took from the treaty room of the White House residence.
The Biden administration has said it plans to continue to take a tough approach with China – similar to former President Donald Trump – but will do so in coordination with allies and hopes to set parameters that will allow countries to express concerns and areas of disagreement. , but they also work with each other when the two countries are interested.

According to Chinese state media Xinhua, Xi told Biden that US policy toward China has caused “serious difficulties” for countries’ relations.

“If China and the United States work together, the two countries and the world will benefit; if China and the United States face off, both countries and the world will suffer. The relationship between China and the United States it’s not a matter of choosing whether to do it right, but a compelling question about how to do it right, ”Xi said, according to the Xinhua report.

The Chinese leader said the two countries can continue the dialogue to “promote coordination and cooperation” on issues such as climate change, Covid-19 and other international issues.

The call marked the second time they have led leaders since Biden became president, with the first call about seven months ago. During its first call, Biden set parameters on the commitment, but China has not cooperated with U.S. officials at the labor level so it has “satisfied” the Biden administration.

During the Biden administration’s first face-to-face confrontation with Chinese officials earlier this year, the two sides exchanged diplomatic bags that are rarely shown in front of the cameras. Biden officials said they planned to address areas of deep concern about China’s actions, which triggered an aggressive response by Chinese officials.

“We continue to believe that setting parameters and railings for competition and keeping lines of communication open is really important. But these lower-level commitments have not been very fruitful and, frankly, we have not been very satisfied with our interlocutors’ behavior.” , said the senior official before the call. “Given this reality, and you know what our consistent approach has been from the beginning on responsible competition management, on communication lines, President Biden understood the importance of directly engaging President Xi with these issues. “.

The official added that “it is very likely that the leadership-level commitment is really what is needed to advance the ball,” given Xi’s centralized power.

The railings of the relationship that Biden was expected to discuss on Thursday included open lines of communication, substantial and frank dialogue and a commitment not to create links between relationship issues, the official said.

When it comes to specific issues of tension between the two countries, the official did not provide a complete list, but said North Korea and Iran could be discussed in the context of broadly discussing the relationship.

The overall goal, the official said, was to reach a “constant state of affairs with the United States and China.” But this will be a daunting task, as Biden has framed US-China competition in recent months as a battle between democracy and autocracy.

On the issue of Afghanistan and the Taliban, the official said the administration did not expect Biden to ask a “particular question” to China, and after the call, the official will only say that the leaders talked about. ” global events “.

Earlier this week, China announced it would supply nearly 31 million dollars worth of winter-controlled food, vaccines and medicines to the Taliban-controlled country and maintain its embassy there.

Biden and Xi are expected to meet at some point, but the official did not expect a specific plan to be announced outside the call.

This story has been updated with additional call details.

CNN’s Nikki Carvajal and Zixu Wang in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

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