US President Joe Biden meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Lima, Peru, November 16, 2024. LEAH MILLIS / REUTERS Amid uncertainties linked to Donald’s re-election Trump, China will “strive to ensure a smooth transition” in its relations with the United States, said Chinese President Xi Jinping to his American counterpart Joe Biden on Saturday, November 16. during a final face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, in Lima. The two countries should “continue to explore the right path” to get along and “achieve long-term peaceful coexistence,” Mr. Xi added during the meeting, quoted by the state agency Xinhua , while the two leaders have been in the Peruvian capital since Thursday to participate in the 31st edition of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which brings together twenty-one economies accounting for 60% of the world’s gross domestic product. During this interview carried out on the sidelines of the event, Joe Biden also advocated the calming of relations between the two superpowers. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers 2024 American presidential election: China wonders which Trump it will be dealing with Read later “Our two countries cannot let this competition drift into conflict. It’s our responsibility and, over the last four years, I think we have proven that it is possible to maintain this relationship,” he declared, without quoting Donald Trump, to whom he will cede his place at the White House, in January 2025. Do not cross the “red line” regarding Taiwan Without naming the president-elect either, Xi Jinping declared that “China [était] ready to work with a new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences to strive for a smooth transition of China-US relations for the benefit of both peoples.” He warned that a stable relationship between China and the United States was essential not only for the two nations, but also for the “future and destiny of humanity.” “Competition among major countries should not be the underlying logic of the times,” Xi added. However, he stressed that Beijing’s position of “firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests has not changed.” The Chinese president also urged Washington not to interfere in certain issues. He thus affirmed that “the question of Taiwan, democracy and human rights” as well as the Chinese political and economic system and its development interests “are China’s four red lines which must not be questioned”. “These are the most important safeguards and safety net for China-US relations,” Xi added, according to Chinese state television CCTV. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The meeting in Beijing between a senior American official and Xi Jinping illustrates the renewal of dialogue between the two countries Read later Ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, due to disagreements over trade, the status of Taiwan, human rights or technological competition. However, the bilateral dialogue was maintained as best it could. According to American officials, this third and final Biden-Xi face-to-face aimed to capitalize on the historic meeting which helped ease tensions a year ago, at the same annual APEC summit in San Francisco. . “A moment of important political change” In Lima, Joe Biden said he was “proud of the progress made” to stabilize this relationship between Washington and Beijing. A bit nostalgic, he recalled how he had fun “counting the hours we had spent alone, you and I”. “I remember being on the Tibetan plateau with you, and I remember being in Beijing and around the world, first as vice president and then as president,” he said. he said. Le Monde Application La Matinale du Monde Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed Download the application “We have not always agreed, but our conversations have always been frank,” added the outgoing president , stressing that they had been “honest with each other”. “And I think that’s essential. These conversations help avoid miscalculations and ensure that competition between our two countries does not turn into conflict,” added Joe Biden for one of his last major international outings. The shadow of Donald Trump, who has already appointed hard-liners against Beijing to his team, hung over the discussions. During his campaign, the billionaire promised to protect American industry, threatening to impose tariffs of 10% to 20% on imported products and up to 60% on those from China. During his first term (2017-2021), he had already profoundly disrupted bilateral economic relations, by triggering a trade war to force Beijing to buy American products and rebalance trade. Already on Friday, Xi Jinping had warned “against the rise of unilateralism and protectionism” and judged that the world had “entered a new period of turbulence and transformation”. Concern relayed by Joe Biden, who estimated, on the sidelines of a meeting with his allies in the Pacific region – Japan and South Korea – that “we have now reached a moment of important political change”. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers “China is increasing its presence in Latin America and is gradually ejecting the former king of the Americas, the United States, from its traditional garden” Read later Le Monde with AP and AFP Reuse this content
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