US and Chinese Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping have grown closer over the war in Ukraine but clashed over Taiwan during a three-hour meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali, site of the G20 summit.
During the meeting, the two leaders spoke “sincerely” on numerous issues such as Ukraine, North Korea or Taiwan, where Biden denounced China’s “aggressive” actions, the White House said in a statement.
After years of growing rivalry, both leaders issued conciliatory messages: There is no need for a “new cold war,” Biden said, while Xi reiterated the world was “big enough” for both powers to prosper.
But the Chinese leader warned that the Taiwan issue is “the first red line” Washington must not cross to maintain good relations with Beijing.
“The Taiwan issue is at the heart of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations. and the first red line not to be crossed,” Xi said, according to state media.
Instead, the two leaders found more common ground on the issue of the Ukraine war, which is likely to be the first topic at the G20 summit in Indonesia.
“President Biden and President Xi reiterated their agreement that nuclear war must never be fought … and underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” the White House said.
Although he did not refer to the nuclear issue, the Chinese president said his country was “very concerned” about the current situation in Ukraine and warned that “wars produce no winners,” according to a foreign ministry statement.
The US leader also raised the issue of North Korea, a country allied with Beijing that has launched a record number of missiles this year.
Biden criticized the “aggressive behavior” and told Xi the world must “motivate” this country to “act responsibly,” the White House statement said.