Thursday, 11 February 2021 (YJC)_ Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have held their first phone call.
President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have held their first phone call since the commander-in-chief took office last month, with Biden raising China's human rights abuses and territorial expansion and Xi warning against conflict between the world's largest economies.
Biden has vowed to take a tough line on China, breaking from the strategy of President Barack Obama and previous administrations that sought to bring Beijing into the global diplomatic system and exploit its economic potential.
Although Biden raised several contentious topics, Chinese media reports on the call have focused on the potential for greater Washington-Beijing cooperation.
The nationalistic state-owned Global Times newspaper lauded the call as "indicative of the goodwill and respect that Biden shows to Xi and China." Editor Hu Xijin—who became known for his attacks on Trump—wrote that the conversation was a good sign for bilateral relations.
"It is no secret that there are some strategic divergences between China and the U.S.," Hu wrote. "Both countries need to face up to and manage these differences."
In a separate editorial, Global Times described the call as "the most anticipated phone conversation since Biden took office."
Noting the history of cooperation between the two leaders, the newspaper expressed hopes for a diplomatic thaw.
"A win-win situation between China and the U.S. will be a victory for modern human civilization and wisdom," the editorial read. "If the two countries end up in serious conflicts, it will be a tragedy for humanity."
Biden tweeted on Wednesday that he spoke with Xi "to offer good wishes to the Chinese people for lunar new year."
Xi, meanwhile, told Biden that any conflict between the two nations would be disastrous, echoing a warning from Foreign Minister Wang Yi before the inauguration.
The South China Morning Post reported that Xi told his American counterpart: "Cooperation can help the two nations and the world to accomplish big things, while confrontation is definitely a disaster."
Your Comment