Biden and Xi met for about four hours on the outskirts of San Francisco to discuss issues that have strained US-Chinese relations.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday to open a presidential hotline, resume military-to-military communications, and work to curb fentanyl production, showing tangible progress in their first face-to-face talks in a year.
They plan to resume military contacts that China severed after then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
“We’re back to direct, open clear direct communication on a direct basis,” Biden said.
In addition, Biden said he and Xi agreed to high-level communications. “He and I agreed that each one of us can pick up the phone call directly and we’ll be heard immediately.”
But in a comment likely to irk the Chinese, Biden told reporters later that he had not changed his view that Xi is a dictator.
“Well, look, he is. I mean, he’s a dictator in the sense that he is a guy who runs a country that is a communist country,” Biden said.
Xi Jinping also said that the U.S. side should take real action to honor its commitment to not supporting “Taiwan independence,” stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification.
“China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable,” Xi said.
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