Washington: President Joe Biden spoke with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday amid growing frustration on the American side that high-level engagement between the two leaders’ top advisers has been largely unfruitful in the early going of the Biden presidency.
Biden initiated the call with Xi, the second between the two leaders since Biden took office. It comes at a moment when there is no shortage of thorny issues between the two nations, including cyber-security breaches originating from China, Beijing’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic and what the White House has labelled as “coercive and unfair” trade practices by the Chinese.
But Biden’s aim with the 90-minute call was less focused on any of those hot-button issues and instead centred on discussing the way ahead for the US-China relationship after it got off to a decidedly rocky start in his tenure.
The White House said in a statement that the “two leaders had a broad, strategic discussion in which they discussed areas where our interests converge, and areas where our interests, values, and perspectives diverge”.
Chinese state TV reported on its website that the two leaders had “candid, in-depth, extensive strategic communications”, but gave no details.
The White House is hopeful the two sides can work together on issues of mutual concern—including climate change and preventing a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula—despite growing differences.
Beijing, however, has pushed back against US pressure and increasingly has suggested that it could remain broadly uncooperative until Biden dials down criticism on what it deems Chinese internal matters.
Nearly eight months into his presidency, Biden and his aides’ efforts to call out China on a litany of concerns while trying to find common ground on other matters has proven a fraught strategy.
Ahead of the call, a senior administration official said the White House had been unsatisfied with early engagements with the Chinese.