Biden Holds His First Call With Chinese Counterpart Jinping In 7-Month

• President Joe Biden of the United States (US) held a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first in seven-month.

United States President Joe Biden has spoken with President Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, for the first time in seven months.

Confirming this development, a White House statement has it that both leaders had “discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict.”

“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.

“This discussion, as President Biden made clear, was part of the United States’ ongoing effort to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the PRC,” the statement added.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said the phone call was “candid [and] in-depth”, adding that it had covered “extensive strategic communication and… issues of mutual concern”.

“Whether China and the US can properly handle their relations… is critical for the future and destiny of the world,” said Mr Xi, according to the CCTV report.

A senior White House official said the call came at the request of Biden, who had become “exasperated” by the unwillingness of lower level Chinese officials to hold substantive talks with his administration.

This is however the second call between them since President Biden took office from former President Donald Trump.

In recent times, there has been tensions between China and US over issues like trade, espionage and the pandemic.

High-level talks between the Biden administration and China have similarly been fraught with tension – with officials on both sides exchanging sharp rebukes.

Chinese officials had accused the US of inciting countries “to attack China”, while the US said China had “arrived intent on grandstanding”.