The Telegraph
Joe Biden presses Xi Jinping on ‘abuse in Xinjiang’ in first call with Chinese leader
Joe Biden clashed with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the treatment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, in their first call since Mr. Biden came to power. Mr. Biden said Thursday he spoke to his Chinese counterpart for two hours on Wednesday night. “If we do not move, they will eat our lunch,” he said. Biden told reporters. Wednesday’s call was also the first between Mr. Xi and a US president since the Chinese leader spoke to former President Donald Trump in March last year. Since then, relations between the two countries have been at their worst for decades. Mr. Biden told Xi that it was a US priority to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region and “emphasized his fundamental concern about Beijing’s coercive and unjust economic practices, oppression in Hong Kong, human rights violations in Xinjiang and increasing assertive actions the region, also to Taiwan, “the White House said in a statement. President Xi retorted that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang – home to the persecuted Uighur Muslims in China – are China’s internal affairs in terms of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that the US side must respect China’s core interests and caution must be exercised ‘, the foreign ministry said. Mr. Xi stressed that China and the US could achieve a lot for their mutual benefit if they worked together, while the confrontation “will definitely be disastrous for both countries and the world,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Despite the differences of opinion, the Chinese leader sounded a positive tone and expressed hope for better relations between the two parties. ‘You said that America can be defined in one word: Possibilities. We hope that the possibilities will now point to an improvement in relations between China and the USA, “Xi said. He also said that China and the USA can have in-depth communication on matters concerning their relationship and important international and regional affairs, and that their military, economic, financial and law enforcement authorities “may also have more contacts.” The White House said Mr Biden and Xi also exchanged views on combating the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as on the shared challenges of climate change. and the prevention of arms proliferation – a reference to the US desire to work with Beijing to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, a senior Biden administration official told reporters before the call that Biden will be ‘practical, stubborn and clear-eyed’ in dealing with Mr Xi, but wants to ensure that the two leaders have the opportunity to have an open line of communication. ‘s concern about Chinese behavior.