US President Joe Biden has claimed that "there need not be a new Cold War" with China, in a statement clearly aimed at calming simmering tensions between the world's two largest economies.
Speaking after his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, Biden also expressed satisfaction with the "straightforward" nature of their discussion.
"I absolutely believe that there need not be a new Cold War," Biden said. "I've met many times with Xi Jinping, and we were [once again] candid and clear with each other across the board."
Biden added: "We're going to compete vigorously, but I'm not looking for conflict. I'm looking to manage this competition responsibly... We're not going to be able to work everything out. I'm not suggesting that this is 'kumbaya' but I do not believe there's a need for concern [about]... a new Cold War."
An awful lot of territory
In a press conference held shortly after the meeting, Biden elaborated upon several key topics covered during the leaders' marathon 3.5 hour discussion — one during which "an awful lot of territory" was covered, in Biden's words.
On Taiwan, Biden claimed that he did not believe "that there's any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade" the de facto independent island, and reaffirmed his own country's commitment to the 'One China' policy, according to which Taiwan is viewed as part of China.
"Our One China policy has not changed," Biden said. "We oppose unilateral changes in the status quo by either side. And we're committed to maintaining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait."
Today, I met with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China. We discussed our responsibility to prevent the competition between our countries from veering into conflict and finding ways to work together on shared challenges that affect the international community. pic.twitter.com/ufneHdcyCF
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 14, 2022
Biden also praised Ukraine's recent recapture of the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, the sole provincial capital that Russia had seized since it launched its full-scale invasion in February.
"[Capturing Kherson] is a significant victory for Ukraine," Biden said. "I can do nothing but applaud the courage determination and capacity of the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military."
Biden further clarified that the US will not "engage in any negotiation [with Russia] without Ukraine", and that he is "confident that Russia will not occupy... Ukraine as they intended from the beginning".
On North Korea, a country which has been conducting a series of missile tests in response to what it claims are "provocative" US-led military exercises on its borders, Biden said: "It's difficult to say that I am certain that China can control North Korea. But I made it clear to President Xi Jinping that I thought they had an obligation to attempt to make it clear to North Korea that they should not engage in long-range nuclear tests."
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Both leaders "reaffirmed our shared belief that the threat or the use of nuclear weapons is totally unacceptable". The US President hopes to "keep the lines of communication open between our two countries".
In the televised introduction to the meeting, Xi appeared to strike a similarly conciliatory tone and called for increased efforts by both sides to "elevate their relationship".
