NEWS
Biden And Xi Have ‘Constructive’ Meeting On Fentanyl, AI, And More, Opening Lines Of Communication
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The U.S. and China have reopened lines of communication after a constructive meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, the White House said.
Biden traveled to San Francisco, Calif., where Asian and U.S. leaders were meeting this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, and sat down with Xi almost a year after they last crossed paths in Bali.
The bilateral meeting covered a range of topics, including curbing the movement of fentanyl precursors, resuming direct communication between the two militaries, and working together to tackle the risks of artificial intelligence.
In remarks after the meeting, Biden noted that China has since 2019 taken action to greatly reduce the amount of fentanyl shipped from China to the U.S., and now the problem of precursor chemicals and pill presses being shipped into the U.S. and Mexico will be addressed.
Were taking action to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses from China to the Western Hemisphere. Its going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xis commitment on this issue, Biden said. He noted that the two countries will maintain a policy of law enforcement coordination to make sure it works.
The lines of communication between the two countries’ militaries are also opening for the first time in years.
The U.S. Department of Defense recently released a trove of declassified photos and videos depicting unsafe interceptions of U.S. aircraft by Chinese pilots, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, along with commanders in the Asia-Pacific region, have said repeatedly that their calls to Chinese counterparts have gone unanswered for more than two years.
This is critically important, we are reassuming military-to-military contact — direct contacts, Biden said. As a lot of you press know who follow this, thats been cut off, and its been worrisome. Thats how accidents happen: misunderstandings. So, were back to direct, open, clear, direct communications.
On the topic of AI, Biden made it clear that the U.S. intends to compete with China, but said the two countries will cooperate to assess and mitigate safety risks.
Were going to get our experts together to discuss risk and safety issues associated with artificial intelligence, Biden said. The United States will continue to compete vigorously with the PRC. But well manage that competition responsibly so it doesnt veer into conflict or accidental conflict.
Xi also came away from the meeting with warm words for the U.S., and in a speech said he wanted to “deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples.” He signaled that China would send new pandas to the U.S. after three bears housed at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington were returned to China earlier this month.
TMX contributed to this article.
