Biden, Xi agree to open presidential hotline, resume military communications - The Straits Times

Military, Taiwan

Mr Biden requested that both countries institutionalise the military-to-military dialogues, and United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart when that person is named, a senior US official said.

Mr Biden and Mr Xi agreed China would stem the export of items related to the production of the opioid fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States.

“It’s going to save lives,” Mr Biden said, adding he appreciated Mr Xi’s “commitment” on the issue.

Under the agreement, China will go directly after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors, the senior US official told reporters. He vowed to “trust but verify” Chinese actions on the drug.

The two leaders also agreed to get experts together to discuss the risks of artificial intelligence.

A US official described an exchange over Taiwan, the democratic island that China claims as its territory.

China’s preference is for peaceful reunification with the Chinese-claimed island of Taiwan, Mr Xi told Mr Biden, the US official said, but Mr Xi went on to talk about conditions in which force could be used.

Mr Biden said he stressed the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The US official said Mr Biden argued to maintain the status quo and for China to respect Taiwan’s electoral process.

“President Xi responded, ‘Look, peace is all well and good, but at some point we need to move towards resolution more generally,’” the official quoted Mr Xi as saying.

Mr Xi also urged the United States to stop sending weapons to Taiwan and support China’s peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan, Chinese state media said.

Ms Bonnie Glaser, a Taiwan expert at the Germen Marshall Fund of the United States, said Mr Xi seemed to have conveyed both threats and assurances on Taiwan.

“The suggestion that a resolution needs to be found in the near term is a worrisome sign, even if he emphasised that there are no plans for military action against Taiwan in the coming years,” she said.

Mr Biden asked Mr Xi to use his influence with Iran to urge Tehran not to launch proxy attacks on US targets in the Middle East as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues in Gaza.

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2023-11-16 04:46:55Z
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