In a recent phone conversation that lasted close to two hours, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping debated topics such as Taiwan, Ukraine, artificial intelligence, and climate change. This significant exchange marked their first direct contact since their meeting in San Francisco the previous November and their first phone call in a span of two years.
Xi Jinping spoke to Biden, stating that although the United States-China relationship is beginning to show signs of stabilisation, the negative aspects are also increasing. He pinpointed Taiwan as the primary red line in Sino-American relations that should be respected and cautioned the American president about the implications of limiting China’s access to advanced technology.
Xi emphasised the negative impact of US measures to curb China’s economic and technological advancement, with sanctions on Chinese entities steadily increasing. He warned that this approach creates risk rather than removing it. However, he also indicated China’s willingness to engage in mutually beneficial partnership and share in its development successes.
According to a Chinese narrative of the conversation, he stated, “If the US is intent on hindering China’s high-tech growth and denying its legitimate development rights, China will not remain passive.”
The White House responded by noting Biden’s commitment to restricting the application of advanced US technologies that may jeopardise national security without excessively curtailing trade and investment. John Kirby, the spokesman for the National Security Council, reported that Biden voiced concerns about TikTok, a social media platform owned by China, which is likely subject to legislation triggering a forced sale.
Kirby noted that Biden reassured Xi that the focus was not on banning the application but rather on divestiture for the purpose of safeguarding national security interests and the data security of US citizens.
Both Janet Yellen, US treasury secretary, and Antony Blinken, secretary of state, will be travelling to China in the following weeks. Meanwhile, negotiations under the Maritime Military Consultative Agreement, which have been halted since 2022, are set to recommence in Honolulu.
China severed its military communication links with the US subsequent to Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit in 2022; the connections were reestablished after diplomatic negotiations at the San Francisco summit. China and the US are currently collaborating to curb the export of chemical substances employed in the production of the synthetic narcotic, fentanyl. The two nations are planning discussions regarding the supervision of artificial intelligence technology in the upcoming weeks.
The discussion between President Biden and President Xi was conducted prior to the US’s imminent military drills with the Philippines and Japan during the weekend. The leaders from these three countries are scheduled to confer in Washington the following week. Recently, there has been an escalation of stress between Manila and Beijing due to territorial disputes in the South China Sea, especially following the use of water cannon by Chinese forces on vessels from the Philippines.