Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping speak for first time since California summit

President Biden and Chinese premier Xi Jinping have spoken by phone, their first telephone conversation since 2022 and their first interaction since the two leaders met outside San Francisco for a summit meeting in November 2023.

A senior administration official who briefed reporters on plans for the telephone call said the conversation between Mr Biden and Mr Xi is part of ongoing plans to “maintain regular open lines of communication to responsibly manage competition and prevent unintended conflict,” which both leaders agreed upon during their summit last year.

The official also said the call was meant to build on several meetings which Secretary of State Ant0ny Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan have held in recent months with the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi.

“We anticipate President Biden and President Xi will discuss the US China bilateral relationships the continued importance of strengthening lines of communication and managing competition responsibly, and a range of regional and global issues,” said the official, who also stressed that the Biden administration’s “invest, align and compete” approach to dealing with China has not changed.

“Intense competition requires intense diplomacy to manage tensions, address misperceptions and prevent unintended conflict, and this call is one way to do that,” the official said, adding later that there are “areas of cooperation” where US and Chinese interests align, such as anti-narcotics work, “risk and safety issues” related to Artificial Intelligence, and climate change.

In addition, Mr Biden and Mr Xi were expected to discuss the importance of continued military-to-military communications between US forces and China’s People’s Liberation Army.

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