At APEC 2024, Chinese leader Xi tells Biden he’s ‘ready to work’ with Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping has held his final meeting pinch his outgoing counterpart successful nan United States, Democrat Joe Biden.

But Xi’s words connected Saturday seemed directed not simply astatine Biden but astatine his Republican successor, returning President Donald Trump.

In his brushwood pinch Biden connected nan sidelines of nan Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation acme successful Lima, Peru, Xi emphasised nan value of nan US and China maintaining “mutual respect”.

While Xi did not mention Trump by name, he gave a motion to nan incoming US president’s triumph successful nan November 5 election.

“The United States has precocious concluded its elections. China’s extremity of a stable, patient and sustainable China-US narration remains unchanged,” Xi said.

But, he warned, “If we return each different arsenic rival aliases adversary, prosecute vicious title and activity to wounded each other, we would roil nan narration aliases moreover group it back.”

Trump, who served arsenic president antecedently from 2017 to 2021, oversaw a play of heightened tensions pinch China, including a waste and acquisition warfare sparked by his imposition of tariffs connected Chinese goods.

China responded pinch its ain tariffs and waste and acquisition restrictions, though experts warned that nan escalation connected some sides damaged nan 2 countries’ economies.

On Saturday, Xi appeared to widen a manus of relationship to Trump, encouraging their countries to activity together for communal gain.

“China is fresh to activity pinch nan caller US management to support communication, grow practice and negociate differences truthful arsenic to strive for a dependable modulation of nan China-US narration for nan use of nan 2 peoples,” he said.

US President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping be a bilateral gathering connected nan sidelines of nan APEC Summit successful Lima, Peru, connected November 16 [Leah Millis/Reuters]

A awesome run theme

Trump has reprised his “America First” accuracy arsenic he prepares to participate nan White House for a 2nd time.

China was a repeated characteristic of nan Republican’s run speeches, arsenic he led a successful bid for re-election successful nan 2024 US statesmanlike race.

As portion of a transportation to American voters, Trump pledged to protect US manufacturing from Chinese competition.

“I charged China hundreds of billions of dollars successful taxes and tariffs. They paid us,” Trump boasted astatine his last run rally successful Grand Rapids, Michigan, connected November 4.

“And you cognize what? We’re going to get on awesome pinch China. We’re going to get on good. I want to get on pinch them. President Xi was awesome until COVID came. Then, I wasn’t truthful thrilled pinch him.”

During nan tallness of nan COVID-19 pandemic, Trump blamed nan Chinese leader for letting nan microorganism dispersed by “allowing flights to time off China and infect nan world”. He besides many times called COVID-19 nan “China virus”.

Despite their rocky history, Xi called to congratulate Trump connected his 2nd word nan time aft nan election, connected November 6.

Xi has led nan Chinese authorities since 2013, and nether his authority, nan two-term limit was abolished for presidents.

Trump has expressed admiration for Xi’s authority complete nan Chinese government, which immoderate critics comparison pinch authoritarian rule.

“I sewage on very good pinch President Xi. He’s a awesome guy. He wrote maine a beautiful statement nan different time erstwhile he heard astir what happened,” Trump said aft nan assassination attempt connected him successful July. “It’s a bully point to get along, not a bad thing.”

Goodbye to Biden

Xi and Biden person had their ain rocky history, pinch incidents for illustration nan 2023 downing of an alleged Chinese “spy” balloon fuelling spikes successful tensions.

China maintained that nan balloon was a civilian craft collecting upwind data, and it denounced nan US’s determination to sprout it down pinch a rocket aft it passed complete delicate US subject installations.

Biden, who turns 82 connected Wednesday, exchanged immoderate banter pinch his Chinese counterpart arsenic they said to reporters successful their last meeting.

“Can you put connected your earpiece? We person simultaneous interpreting,” Xi asked Biden astatine their day news conference.

Biden responded pinch a joke. “I’ve learned to speak Chinese,” he said pinch a chuckle.

The US president continued by acknowledging that relations person not ever been soft betwixt their 2 countries.

“We haven’t ever agreed, but our conversations person ever been candid and ever been frank. We person ne'er kidded 1 another. We’ve been level pinch 1 another. And I deliberation that’s vital,” Biden said, pointing crossed nan array arsenic he publication from prepared remarks.

“These conversations forestall miscalculations, and they guarantee nan title betwixt our 2 countries will not veer into conflict.”

He utilized his last brushwood arsenic president pinch Xi to push respective US priorities. In a readout released by nan White House, Biden reportedly pushed for greater rule enforcement practice to stem nan travel of synthetic narcotics to nan US.

He and Xi besides said astir nan emerging challenges posed by artificial intelligence (AI), including pinch regards to its usage pinch atomic weapons.

“The 2 leaders affirmed nan request to support quality power complete nan determination to usage atomic weapons,” nan readout explained.

“The 2 leaders besides stressed nan request to see cautiously nan imaginable risks and create AI exertion successful nan subject section successful a prudent and responsible manner.”

Biden besides confirmed that nan US’s “one China policy” remained “unchanged”: The US acknowledges nan authorities successful Beijing arsenic nan sole authorities of China. It does not person general negotiated relations pinch nan self-governing land of Taiwan, which China considers its territory.

China has called acknowledging Taiwan’s sovereignty a “red line” successful its narration pinch nan US.

While Biden has antecedently pledged to protect Taiwan should it ever look attack, connected Saturday, he struck a statement of peace, calling for a continuation of nan position quo.

“He reiterated that nan United States opposes immoderate unilateral changes to nan position quo from either side, that we expect cross-Strait differences to beryllium resolved by serene means, and that nan world has an liking successful bid and stableness successful nan Taiwan Strait,” nan White House readout said.

But, it added, Biden besides “called for an extremity to destabilizing PRC [People’s Republic of China] subject activity astir Taiwan”.