On Saturday, November 16, US President Joe Biden met with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping in Lima, Peru. According to the meeting minutes released by the White House, President Biden urged China to stop military activities that destabilize the region around Taiwan. During the meeting, Biden also raised concerns about China’s unfair trade practices, the situation in the South China Sea, and human rights issues.
The White House meeting notes stated that the two leaders engaged in “frank and constructive discussions” on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, including areas of cooperation and disagreement.
“President Biden emphasized the commitment of the United States to upholding international law, freedom of navigation, overflight, as well as the peace and stability in the South China Sea and East China Sea,” the meeting notes from the White House said. “Regarding the Taiwan issue, President Biden reiterated that the US’s ‘One China’ policy remains unchanged, guided by the Taiwan Relations Act, the Three Joint Communiqués, and the Six Assurances.”
“He (Biden) reaffirmed that the US opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo, and we expect the Taiwan Strait issue to be resolved through peaceful means, with the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait related to the interests of the entire world,” the meeting notes stated, with President Biden urging China to “end military activities that destabilize the region around Taiwan.”
In addition to the Taiwan issue, President Biden also expressed concern about China’s “unfair trade policies” and emphasized that “the US will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced US technology from being used to harm US or partner country security, while not overly restricting trade and investment.”
The President also raised human rights issues with the Chinese Communist Party leader.
“The President highlighted the importance of human rights and the responsibility of all countries to respect their human rights commitments,” the White House briefing stated. “He emphasized that resolving cases of unfair detention or travel bans on American citizens in China remains a priority.”
Regarding China’s cyberattacks on the US, Biden also brought up this issue with the Chinese Communist Party leader.
“The President raised concerns about the ongoing cyberattacks by the People’s Republic of China (PRC, Communist China), targeting civilian critical infrastructure and threatening the safety and security of Americans.”
US intelligence agencies recently announced rare progress in investigating Chinese hackers infiltrating US telecommunications networks, finding that actors linked to China have compromised networks of multiple telecommunications companies, stealing customer call records and disrupting individuals’ private communications. White House officials, on the eve of the Biden-Xi meeting, indicated that Biden would warn Xi Jinping that Beijing’s attacks on critical US networks will only lead to a technological decoupling between the US and China.
According to the White House’s release of the Biden-Xi meeting minutes, President Biden also emphasized investing in the source of strength domestically and coordinating with partners and allies around the world, as the core of his government’s foreign policy approach.
The two leaders also exchanged views on key regional and global challenges. President Biden condemned North Korea for deploying tens of thousands of troops to Russia, calling it a dangerous escalation of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, with serious consequences for peace and security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.
Biden also expressed deep concern about China’s continued support for Russia’s defense industry.
In addition to the above issues, the Biden-Xi meeting also discussed the risks of artificial intelligence, drug control efforts, and military communications between the two countries.