China's Xi Jinping and US' Joe Biden discuss ways to avoid conflict between two countries

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping talked about "serious difficulties in bilateral relations" as well as the common interests of all countries, in a phone call as state media reported on Friday. According to Xi Jinping, the world will suffer if both countries oppose each other, but the world will profit if both countries work together, reported by The Global Times.

The Chinese President was cited as saying that the topic of how to maintain good ties between China and the United States must be answered rather than considered an option. Xi held a candid, thorough and broad strategic communication and exchanges on China-US relations and matters of mutual interest at the invitation of US President Joe Biden, according to Chinese state media.

China and the US should keep talking about climate change

Jinping emphasised that China-US relations should be "restored on the right track of growth as soon as possible," and that the two countries should keep talking about climate change, pandemic prevention, and global economic recovery while respecting differences. Meanwhile, according to a White House statement, Joe Biden spoke with Xi Jinping on both countries' responsibilities in ensuring that "competition" between the two powers does not devolve into "war." Both leaders also promised to engage openly and directly on both sets of topics, according to the statement.

The US has no plans to change the one-China principle, and Biden stated that the US is willing to have more candid discussions with China to identify priorities for bilateral cooperation in order to avoid misunderstandings, miscalculations and unintentional conflict, and to get bilateral relations back on track. He went on to say that the US is looking forward to improving communication and cooperation with China on climate change and other vital topics. 

The White House's statement

In a statement, the White House said, "President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke today with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The two leaders had a broad, strategic discussion in which they discussed areas where our interests converge, and areas where our interests, values, and perspectives diverge. They agreed to engage on both sets of issues openly and straightforwardly." The statement continued, "President Biden underscored the United States' enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict."

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)