In the interests of responsibly managing the relations between the United States and China, President Joe Biden and PRC President Xi Jinping spoke to one another by phone April 2. It was the first discussion between the two leaders since their face-to-face summit in Woodside, California last November.
National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby told reporters the almost two-hour conversation was “a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral regional, and global issues, including areas of cooperation and differences:”
“They encouraged and continued progress on issues discussed at the Woodside Summit, including counternarcotics cooperation, ongoing military-to-military communications, talks to address artificial-intelligence-related risks, and continuing efforts on climate change and people-to-people exchanges.”
The PRC’s behavior in the Pacific was discussed as well, said Advisor Kirby, with President Biden emphasizing the “importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” and reaffirming “the importance of the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.”
President Biden also raised concerns about the PRC’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base and its impact on European security. And the President underscored the U.S. commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
“President Biden also raised continued concerns about the PRC’s unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices, which harm American workers and families,” said Advisor Kirby.
In addition, the President informed the Chinese leader the United States will continue to take necessary action to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security. And he brought up the U.S. interest in seeing a divestiture of the social platform TikTok from a China-based company, so that, Advisor Kirby said, “the national security interests and the data security of the American people can be protected.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is currently in China for meetings, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Beijing soon to “advance our interests through Cabinet-level diplomacy,” noted National Security Communications Advisor Kirby. He underscored, however, the U.S. believes “there is no substitute for regular communication at the leader level to effectively manage this complex and often tense bilateral relationship, and both presidents agreed to pick up the phone and speak whenever needed.”
