President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping clashed in a telephone call on Tuesday about US restrictions on high-technology exports.
It was the first time Biden and Xi had spoken one-on-one since their meeting at the APEC summit in California last November. The conversation is part of an effort between the two leaders to maintain communication, which they agreed upon during the summit.
Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping Phone Call Sparks Clash on US High-Tech Export Controls
In the nearly two-hour telephone conversation, Joe Biden conveyed to Xi Jinping the necessity of these restrictions "to prevent advanced US technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment," according to a White House's readout of the call.
In reply, Xi told Biden that these export restrictions prevented China's trade and technology development and generated risks for bilateral relations.
In a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement summarizing the Chinese president's comments released after the call, Xi warned that Beijing will not "sit back and watch" if the US continues to impose such restrictions.
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Joe Biden and Xi Jinping Talk About US Election, Taiwan, Russia, and More
Joe Biden also reportedly warned Xi Jinping against meddling in the US presidential election in November. Beijing has repeatedly said it has no interest in intervening in US internal affairs.
The White House said the two leaders also discussed China's claim to Taiwan and its continued trade with Russia, TikTok, AI-related risks, cooperation on counternarcotics, climate change, military-to-military communications, and people-to-people exchange.
Biden also underscored the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is set to travel to China later this week, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken "in the coming weeks" to strengthen dialogue and communication and promote cooperation between the two countries.
"The two leaders welcomed ongoing efforts to maintain open channels of communication and responsibly manage the relationship through high-level diplomacy and working-level consultations in the weeks and months ahead, including during upcoming visits by Secretary Yellen and Secretary Blinken," the White House said.
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