China and the United States today sought to restore damaged relations between the world’s two largest economic powers through the first telephone call between their presidents, in which Xi Jinping warned Joe Biden that “a confrontation will be a catastrophe.”
“A confrontation between China and the United States will undoubtedly be a catastrophe for the two countries and for the world,” Xi was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.
Clashes between the two powers in plans such as commercial, diplomatic, or technology plans had been frequent during the administration of former US President Donald Trump, a path Beijing wants to avoid at all costs, as it has damaged several of its businesses, among other things. , such as tech giant Huawei or semiconductor manufacturer SMIC
In this context, it was not surprising that Xi viewed the cooperation between the two countries as “ the only right choice for both sides ” and praised the more than four decades of diplomatic relations between Beijing and Washington as contributing “ to peace, stability and globalization. welfare. “
NEW YEAR, NEW RELATIONSHIPS?
The excuse for the call – at least it is led by the texts published by Xinhua, on the Chinese side, and by the White House website, on the American side – was the Lunar New Year, the most popular holiday in China, which will enter the Year of the Ox this Friday.
Thus, “ Biden conveyed his congratulations and best wishes to the Chinese people, ” then both leaders moved on to tackle various rough issues in a game of dialectical table tennis, the outcome of which will only be appreciated over time.
The priorities of the new president of the United States, he said, go from “protecting the security, prosperity, health and way of life of the American people,” to which he maintains “a free and open Indo. -Pacific “added. an area of important trade routes and of great geopolitical importance in which China, with its recent growth, has gained considerable weight.
In this regard, Xi said that “both sides must act in accordance with world trends, jointly ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and make historic contributions to promote world peace and development.”
THE RED LINES OF CHINA
Biden delved further into troubled areas by “underlining his fundamental concerns about coercive and unjust economic practices in Beijing, the crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights violations in Xinjiang (northwestern region of China) and increasingly authoritarian actions in the area, including Taiwan.. “
At this point, Xi has not changed China’s official discourse an iota, both regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan (autonomously governed since 1949, but whose sovereignty Beijing asserts) and the multiple complaints of human rights violations against religious minorities in Xinjiang. or the growing loss of freedoms in Hong Kong.
“The issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang are internal issues related to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Xi said, adding that “the United States should respect China’s core interests and approach these issues with caution. “.
“In a highly uncertain international situation, China and the United States, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have special international obligations and responsibilities,” the Chinese president added.
Xi chose to restore the mechanisms of dialogue between the two countries “ to correctly understand the intentions of each country’s policies and avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations, ” mechanisms that can be extended to economic, financial and law enforcement, as well as between the two armies.
TOAST TO FUTURE POSSIBILITIES
“You said the United States,” Xi said to Biden, “can be defined in one word: possibilities. We hope that the possibilities now point to an improvement in relations between China and the US. ‘
For Xi, the cooperation between the two sides will serve to “bring tangible benefits to the two peoples and contribute to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, promote global economic recovery and maintain regional peace and stability”.
According to the version published by the White House, Xi and Biden also discussed issues of international concern beyond the pandemic, such as climate change or preventing the proliferation of weapons.
The US president, for his part, was interested in obtaining “practical obligations that will produce results, as long as they serve the interests of the American people” and Washington’s allies.
The Chinese side also noted that the two countries “will maintain close contacts in the future”.
This was the first phone call between the two leaders on record since Biden’s arrival at the White House, and it took place on Wednesday evening Washington time, Thursday morning Beijing time.