US President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru.
It was the last such meeting between the two leaders, as President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office in two months. Trump has promised to impose tariffs on Chinese goods, rekindling an economic feud he had with China during his presidency between 2017 and 2021.
Xi told Biden that China will “strive for a smooth transition” in the bilateral relationship, adding that “China is ready to work with a new administration,” in reference to Trump, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
Leaders agree on human control of nuclear weapons
Biden and Xi also agreed that humans, not artificial intelligence, should make decisions about the use of nuclear weapons, marking the first time the two countries have made such a statement.
“The two leaders affirmed the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons,” the White House said in a statement.
“The two leaders also stressed the need to consider carefully the potential risks and develop AI technology in the military field in a prudent and responsible manner,” it added.Xi Jinping told Joe Biden that China is “ready to work with a new administration,” saying it will strive for a “smooth transition,” in reference to President-elect Donald Trump taking office in January.
Xi warns of China’s ‘red lines’
Meanwhile, Xi told Biden that the issues of Taiwan, democracy, human rights and the right to development are “red lines” for China and should not be questioned.
The Chinese president told Biden that the “Taiwan issue, democracy and human rights, pathways and systems, and development interests are China’s four red lines that must not be challenged,” according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has refused to rule out the use of force to seize it. The United States is the main security backer of the self-governing island, although it does not diplomatically recognize Taipei.
Xi also warned the United States not to interfere in bilateral disputes over islands and reefs in the South China Seaor “aid or abet the impulsion to make provocations” in the region.
‘Ups and downs’ of US-China relations
The Chinese president warned that ties between both countries could “encounter twists and turns or even regress” if one side regarded the other as an opponent or enemy.
For his part, Biden spoke about the bigger picture, reflecting on the past four years, as well as on the two countries’ long relationship.
“Over the past four years, China-US relations have experienced ups and downs, but with the two of us at the helm, we have also engaged in fruitful dialogues and cooperation, and generally achieved stability,” Biden said.
Biden and Xi first got to know each other when they were both were vice presidents, a fact that the US president highlighted.
“For over a decade, you and I have spent many hours together, both here and in China and in between. And I think we’ve spent a long time dealing with these issues,” Biden said Saturday.
The US president said that although the two leaders haven’t always agreed, their discussions have been “frank” and “candid.”
