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Biden Meets With Xi Jinping, Downplays Any New Tensions with China
After meeting with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Monday, President Joe Biden attempted to downplay any new tensions with China.
“I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War,” he said at a press conference following the three-and-a-half-hour meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
Despite recent comments to the contrary, Biden reiterated that the US policy toward Taiwan had not changed.
However, he downplayed any fears that the Asian superpower would take over the island.
“I do not think there’s any imminent intent on the part of China to invade Taiwan,” he said.
Biden stated that he and Xi were “very blunt with one another,” but that he had not noticed any change in the leader's demeanor since their last face-to-face meeting five years ago.
“I didn’t find him more confrontational or more conciliatory, I found him the way he’s always been direct and straightforward,” he said.
Biden reiterated his belief that there is no reason to fear a new Cold War and stated that the two governments would collaborate on issues of concern.
“I’m not suggesting this is Kum-bay-ya,” Biden says, but said he wanted to be “clear” with China and Xi Jinping that “I mean what I say and I say what I mean.”
“I think we understand each other, which is the most important thing that can be done,” he added.
In both business and politics, the Bidens and China have a long history.
When Biden was vice president in 2013, he traveled to China aboard Air Force Two with his son Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden's company signed a billion-dollar deal with a subsidiary of the Chinese government's Bank of China ten days later.
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