San Francisco Is The Beginning Of The Stabilization Of China-US Relations

US President Joe Biden with Chinese President Xi Jinping/PHOTO via Instagram @potus

JAKARTA - Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said meeting with President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden in San Francisco could be a starting point for stabilizing relations between China and the United States.

"Both parties need to make new efforts to realize this new vision by further consolidating the basis of bilateral relations and building pillars to coexist peacefully," Mao said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, November 16.

Xi met with Biden on Wednesday, November 15, local time in Filoli Estate, San Francisco, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation High Level Conference (KTT APEC).

During the meeting, Xi said his country had no plans to outperform or shift the US position so the US shouldn't have to pressure China either.

Economic issues, trade, investment, environment, artificial intelligence, military and Taiwan issues were also discussed at the meeting of the two leaders.

"This summit meeting is very important because it can identify the direction and draw up a blueprint for China-US relations in the future," Mao said.

"This meeting was a meeting for both parties to build trust, clear doubts, manage differences and expand cooperation," Mao continued.

He said China hopes that the US will work together to consolidate the basis of bilateral relations and encourage the growth of relations between the two countries that are healthy and stable.

"Both heads of state exchanged views honestly and in depth. The responsibilities of the two major countries are clearly outlined, and result in future-oriented 'San Francisco vision'," Mao said.

Mao said the meeting was a positive, comprehensive and constructive meeting, which had a strategic and broad meaning.

"President Xi stressed that both sides need to work together to form a correct perception, manage differences effectively, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, assume responsibility as a big country and encourage public and cultural exchanges," Mao added.

The four-hour meeting in San Francisco came a year from his second meeting at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, on November 14, 2022.

But after meeting Xi, in a press conference reporters asked Biden if he still looked at Xi as he had said last June.

Biden replied that he had not changed his views on Xi, who he considered dictator.

"Yes. He is a dictator in his sense, a person who runs a communist country based on a form of government that is completely different from us," said Biden.