Xi Jinping and Joe Biden spoke to each other on the phone Tuesday, signaling their desire to to maintain dialogue despite the still very strong tensions between the two superpowers, whether it is Taiwan or rivalry between the two superpowers. technological. For this resumption of contact after their meeting last November in California, the Chinese president and the American president “had a frank and in-depth exchange of views”, indicated the Chinese public television channel CCTV. The White House mentioned in a press release a conversation which focused as much on the possibilities of “cooperation” as on “differences”, and the spokesperson John Kirby specified that it had lasted an hour and forty-five minutes. American Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will go to China from April 3 to 9, according to her services, and the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken will also go there soon . Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in a plush residence about forty kilometers from San Francisco, last November, to renew dialogue. – Chinese balloon – China and the United States were emerging from a period of very strong tension at the time , linked to the flight over American territory by a Chinese balloon at the beginning of 2023. < img alt = "us navy" src = "https://img-4.linternaute.com/ruhyxwhq8vuoxscckbhjxabfso0=/600x/smart/f3b964501e054449be0b9db5229c76f5/ccmcms-linternaute/57589621.jpg " /> Photo released by the US Navy showing the recovery of debris from a Chinese balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, February 5, 2023 © US NAVY – Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Th The weather is therefore thawing, but there is no excessive heat coming from the official communiqués published on both sides. In particular with regard to Taiwan. Joe Biden, according to the White House, called for “peace and stability” around the island which is preparing to install a new president. The Democrat also called for respect for the “right and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea”, after recent incidents involving the Philippines in particular. Taiwan and China © AFP – Jean-Michel CORNU, Patricio ARANA “The Taiwan question is the first impassable red line in Sino-American relations,” said the official Xinhua news agency, reporting Xi Jinping's remarks. “We will not allow separatist activities or external collusion supporting the forces of ‘Taiwan independence’ to be left unmonitored,” she added. The United States does not support the independence of Taiwan, of which Beijing claims sovereignty, but it provides it with military support, and opposes any change in the status quo by force. Joe Biden also expressed his “concern” about the economic and industrial support that Beijing offers to Moscow, according to the White House. – “Not idle ” – “As time has gone on, we have really seen China move to help Russia rebuild its defense industry base,” a senior official said American. The South China Sea © AFP – Valentin RAKOVSKY, Sophie RAMIS Another contentious subject, and not the least: the measures taken by Joe Biden to limit exports to China of certain advanced technologies, which Washington fears could be used for military purposes. Xi Jinping, who sees this as a desire to undermine Chinese technological development, made it clear to his counterpart that Beijing would not “stand idly by” in the face of these restrictions. The warning did not have much effect on the American president, who according to the White House intends to “continue to make the necessary decisions to prevent cutting-edge American technologies to be used in such a way as to compromise the national security” of the United States. Regarding TikTok, Joe Biden reiterated his “concern” about the house -Chinese mother of the popular social network, threatened by a bill in the United States. The 81-year-old Democrat, however, assured that the objective was not to ban the platform, but to see it change ownership, explained John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, during a press briefing. Beyond the subjects of tension, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, however, renewed their intention to cooperate in artificial intelligence and the fight against drug trafficking, while reestablishing regular military communications. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116