US Not Seeking Conflict With China, Biden Says After Talks With Xi

US President Joe Biden has stressed that his country is seeking to avoid conflict with China after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

The two presidents met in person for the first time on Monday since Biden took office last year.

Separate statements from their offices said they called for cooperation to confront international challenges.

The White House said; “President Biden underscored that the United States and China must work together to address transnational challenges – such as climate change, global macroeconomic stability including debt relief, health security, and global food security."

The official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, also cited Xi as saying that the two sides should work with all countries to bring more hope to world peace, and greater confidence in global stability.

The meeting between Biden and Xi follows a spike in tensions between the two countries after Biden vowed to defend Taiwan which China claims as its own – if China invades it.

The meeting with Xi lasted more than three hours, and the Chinese leader was “direct and straightforward”, Biden added.

For his part, Xi said he looks forward to working with Biden to bring China-US relations back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of our two countries and the world as a whole.