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Joe Biden spoke to China’s head of state Xi Jinping for the first time in his office as US President. In the telephone call on Wednesday, Biden expressed concerns about Beijing’s “unfair economic practices,” said the White House in a statement.
“I told him that I would work with China if it was to the benefit of the American people,” tweeted Joe Biden after his first conversation with China’s ruler Xi Jinping. The two spoke on the phone just hours after Biden announced plans at the Pentagon to review the national security strategy with regard to China. Biden had also ordered sanctions against Myanmar’s military in response to its February 1 coup.
In addition to Beijing’s “unfair economic practices”, the crackdown by the People’s Republic in Hong Kong, human rights violations against the Uyghurs and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Beijing’s dealings with Taiwan were also discussed.
The so-called Task Force on China will make recommendations to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Biden said, “so that we can embark on a strong path forward on matters relating to China.” At his Senate hearing for Pentagon chief in January, Austin said he agreed with a recent report by the armed forces that China aims to build a military that is on par with the United States and in some cases superior by 2050. Even if China does, Austin said, “I intend to make sure that never happens.”
Biden had already dealt with Xi as Vice President under Barack Obama. In his first three weeks in office, the new president addressed China in talks with Japan, India and Australia. He discussed with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for example, that close cooperation is needed “to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific”.
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