In the first phone call between the new US President Joe Biden and China’s head of state and party Xi Jinping, the differences between the two powers clashed. According to the White House, during the interview, Biden underlined his „fundamental concerns about Beijing’s forced and unfair economic practices, repression in Hong Kong, human rights violations in Xinjiang and increasingly challenging actions in the region, including against Taiwan.“
Biden himself referred today to the rivalry between the two states. „If we don’t start, they’ll take the butter off our bread,“ he said. The conversation lasted two hours.
Xi warned against confrontation
According to the Chinese representation, Xi stated that Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Uighurs were internal affairs of China and a question of „sovereignty and territorial integrity“. The coronavirus pandemic and climate change were also discussed, according to the information.
China’s president opposed this. He warned of a „confrontation,“ „which is definitely catastrophic for both countries and the world,“ as the Xinhua news agency reported. „The US should respect China’s core interests and act cautiously.“
