President Joe Biden Meets with President Xi Jinping to Discuss U.S.-China Relations

TIME

U.S. President Joe Biden says the aim of his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping is to "better understand each other."

Transcript

00:00 Ready, close. Ready, face forward.

00:07 [applause]

00:10 [applause]

00:20 President Biden, what's your message to China today?

00:25 This time of year, about a year and a day ago, we met in Bali on the sidelines of the G20.

00:33 Since then, key members of our teams have had important discussions

00:39 on issues that matter to both our nations and to the world.

00:43 But as always, there's no substitute to face-to-face discussions.

00:48 I've always found our discussions straightforward and frank, and I've always appreciated them.

00:53 Mr. President, we've known each other for a long time.

00:56 We haven't always agreed, which has not surprised anyone.

01:00 But our meetings have always been candid, straightforward, and useful.

01:05 I've never doubted what you've told me in terms of your candid nature in which you speak.

01:10 I value our conversation because I think it's paramount that you and I

01:15 understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.

01:22 We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,

01:26 and we also have to manage it responsibly, that competition.

01:31 That's what the United States wants and what we intend to do.

01:35 I also believe it's what the world wants for both of us, candid exchange.

01:41 We also have a responsibility to our people and the world to work together

01:47 when we see it in our interest to do so.

01:50 And the critical global challenges we face, from climate change to counter-narcotics

01:55 to artificial intelligence, demand our joint efforts.

01:59 Last time we met in Bali, you said it was a year and a day ago.

02:06 A lot has happened since then.

02:10 The world has emerged from the COVID pandemic,

02:16 but is still under its tremendous impacts.

02:20 The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish.

02:26 Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption,

02:29 and protectionism is rising.

02:31 All these are grave problems.

02:34 The China-U.S. relationship, which is the most important bilateral relationship in the world,

02:39 should be perceived and envisioned in a broad context of the accelerating global transformations unseen in a century.

02:49 It should develop in a way that benefits our two peoples

02:53 and fulfills our responsibility for human progress.

02:59 The China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing over the past 50 years or more,

03:04 and it always faces problems of one kind or another.

03:07 Yet it has kept moving forward amid twists and turns.

03:11 For two large countries like China and the United States,

03:14 turning their back on each other is not an option.

03:17 It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other,

03:20 and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.

03:25 I am still of the view that major country competition is not the pervading trend of current times

03:31 and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large.

03:37 Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed,

03:41 and one country's success is an opportunity for the other.

03:46 It is an objective fact that China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system, and development path.

03:53 However, as long as they respect each other, co-exist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation,

03:59 they will be fully capable of rising above differences

04:02 and find the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other,

04:07 if in the promising future of the bilateral relationship.

04:12 Mr. President, you and I, we are at the helm of China-U.S. relations.

04:19 We shoulder heavy responsibilities for the two peoples, for the world, and for history.

04:25 I look forward to having an in-depth exchange of views and reach new understandings with you

04:35 on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations

04:39 and on major issues affecting world peace and development.

04:48 I wish to thank you for your thoughtful arrangements for our meeting today

04:59 and for our participation at the APEC meeting.

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