Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
WASHINGTON DC, 17th Nov. US President Joe Biden on Thursday said “President Xi Jinping and I tasked our teams to maintain a policy and law enforcement coordination going forward to make sure it works.”
Biden has confirmed the re-establishment of direct military-to-military contacts with China.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining open and clear channels of communication to avoid potential miscalculations that could lead to serious consequences in relations between the two major powers.
Biden was speaking at a news conference in San Francisco at the APEC Summit after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, aid, “President Xi Jinping and I tasked our teams to maintain a policy and law enforcement coordination going forward to make sure it works…Secondly, and this is critically important, we’re reassuming military-to-military contacts, direct contacts…So, we are back to direct, open, clear, direct communications on a direct basis.”
He highlighted the necessity of direct and transparent communication to prevent “vital miscalculations.”
“Vital miscalculations on either side can cause real trouble with a country like China or any other major country. So I think we’ve made real progress there as well,” Biden said.
The meeting between the two leaders held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation followed efforts between the US and China to increase high-level communication amid continued tensions.
Biden said at the start of the summit “I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each other clearly leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.”
Xi arrived in the US on Tuesday and the meeting took place at an undisclosed estate.
President Xi said “For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option.”
“Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.”
Biden said competition between the US and China could not tilt towards conflict and added that his past meetings with Xi had been “candid, straightforward and useful.”
“As always, there is no substitute for face-to-face discussions. I’ve always found our discussions straightforward and frank,” Biden said.
He added that the leaders had a responsibility to their populations to work together, including on issues of climate change, countering narcotics trafficking and approaching artificial intelligence.
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