Biden and Xi open to potential gun control talks | Abroad

Biden and Xi agreed “to see if they can continue the discussion on strategic stability,” Sullivan said, citing US concerns about building nuclear weapons and missiles in China. Sullivan did not say what form the “discussions on strategic stability” might take.

tensions

The two world leaders spoke for about three and a half hours. Topics discussed included tensions between the two countries over the island of Taiwan, which is self-governing but is considered a Chinese province by China.

Biden said after the meeting that the US will comply with the so-called Taiwan Relations Act. That is a US law that obliges the US to give Taiwan the means to defend itself, including in the event of a Chinese attack. Regarding Taiwan’s desire for independence, Biden said of his conversation with Xi: “I said Taiwan should decide for itself, not us. We do not encourage independence.”

Xi is said to have said during the meeting that China will take “decisive measures” if Taiwan goes too far in its pursuit of independence.

Sullivan said Xi and Biden also discussed a wide range of global economic issues. It discussed how the US and China can work together to ensure that global energy supplies and price volatility do not jeopardize the global economic recovery. This exchange of views did not lead to concrete agreements.

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