(Bloomberg) — President Xi Jinping said China is willing to work with the US to find ways to get along, comments that come before a potential meeting with the President Joe Biden at a Group of 20 summit next month.
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Better communication between the two nations would bolster global peace and development, Xi said in a letter to the National Committee on US-China Relations’ annual dinner Wednesday, state broadcaster China Central Television said.
The comments struck a conciliatory tone after a Communist Party congress, during which Xi secured a norm-breaking third term and promised China would stand its ground in a more hostile world.
Xi’s remarks echoed his message to the same gala last year, which similarly came ahead of a video summit with the US leader last November. Still, they signal an effort to maintain ties despite disputes over everything from Taiwan to chips to Beijing’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden emphasized that even as the US maintains its military advantage over China, “we’re making it clear that we don’t seek conflict,” speaking to Department of Defense leaders Wednesday. “There’ll be stiff competition, but there doesn’t need to be conflict,” he added.
Earlier this week, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the administration would “keep the lines of communication open, and that includes at the leader level.” He said teams were still working through a possible meeting when world leaders gather at a Group of 20 meeting in Bali next month, in what would be Biden’s first sitdown with Xi as president.
The US Commerce Department unveiled sweeping regulations this month that limit Beijing’s access to chips, the Biden administration’s most aggressive move to try to stop China from developing capabilities to challenge the country’s global technological dominance. Xi, in turn, has pledged that his nation would prevail in its fight to develop strategically important technology.
–With assistance from Sarah Zheng.
(Updates with background throughout.)
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