/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/6024dfa5fdd8b0aed9f2cea3/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=3000&cropY1=152&cropY2=1839&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Biden Brings Up China’s Human Rights Abuses, ‘Unfair’ Economic Practices In First Call With Xi Jinping")
Topline
President Joe Biden confronted Chinese President Xi Jinping about China’s “unfair” economic practices and its actions in Hong Kong and Xinjiang in the first official phone call between the two world leaders since Biden took office, as the new U.S. president attempts to get the ball rolling on his China policy where he plans to confront Beijing on various issues, by leveraging support from allies in Europe and Asia.
President Joe Biden confront China’s Xi Jinping on several issues including human rights abuses and … [+]
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Key Facts
According to a readout of the call released by the White House, Biden raised concerns about Beijing’s “coercive and unfair economic practices, crackdown in Hong Kong, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan.”
The leaders also discussed tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and weapons proliferation.
Biden indicated that he was willing to work with China when it advances the interests of the American people and other U.S. allies.
According to Politico, the call which took place three weeks after Biden’s inauguration, happened later than usual as the U.S. President was holding “extensive consultations” with American allies in Europe and Asia on building a new strategy for China.
Chinese state-run press agency Xinhua reported that on the call Xi argued that China and the U.S. would both gain more from cooperation instead of confrontation and noted that both countries must show mutual respect and “treat each other as equals.”
Biden conveyed his greetings to Xi and the people of China on the occasion of Lunar New Year, the country’s biggest annual festival.
Key Background
In an interview with CBS earlier this week, Biden said that his administration was ready for “extreme competition” with China, but he vowed to take a different approach compared to Trump and rely on existing international rules. “We need not have a conflict but there is going to be extreme competition,” Biden said. Biden said he knew Xi pretty well due to his interactions with him while serving as Vice President in the Obama administration and added “he doesn’t have a democratic…bone in his body.” Tensions between Washington and Beijing had significantly ramped up in the past year under former President Trump who openly blamed China for the Covid-19 pandemic which has killed more than 470,000 Americans. Tensions between two countries have been further ratcheted up by China’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong and its provocative actions toward Taiwan. In the past week, U.S. Navy warships have traversed the South China Sea, conducting joint exercises and so-called “freedom of navigation operations,” angering Beijing.
Further Reading
Biden confronts China’s Xi in first call (Politico)
Two U.S. Navy Carrier Groups Conduct Joint Exercises In Disputed South China Sea (Forbes)
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