WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for about four hours on Wednesday to discuss issues ranging from military conflicts to drug trafficking.

Mr Biden welcomed his Chinese counterpart at the Filoli estate, a country house and gardens about 48km south of San Francisco, ahead of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum.

Here are the key issues discussed.

Taiwan

The two leaders had a “substantial” discussion on Taiwan, with Mr Xi telling Mr Biden that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue facing the two superpowers, a senior US official told reporters.

The Chinese leader said that China had no plans for military action against Taiwan in the coming years, but also talked about conditions under which force could be used, the official said.

Mr Biden said he “stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”. He also asked Mr Xi to respect Taiwan’s electoral process, the US official added.

Mr Xi responded: “Look, peace is... all well and good, but at some point, we need to move towards resolution more generally,” the US official said. 

Military talks

Beijing said the two leaders agreed to resume military contacts that China severed after then House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.

Mr Biden made a “very clear request” that both countries institutionalise the military-to-military dialogues, and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart when that person is named, a senior US official said. 

Leader-to-leader talks

Mr Biden said he and Mr Xi agreed to high-level communications.

“He and I agreed that each one of us can pick up the phone call directly, and we’ll be heard immediately,” Mr Biden told reporters after the meeting. 

Cooperation and conciliation

Beijing’s report of the meeting, via the Communist Party-controlled Chinese state media, emphasised the need for more cooperation, dialogue and respect.

China and the US should set an example for other countries, Mr Xi told Mr Biden, according to Chinese media, and promote cooperation on trade, agriculture, climate change and artificial intelligence.

An official briefed on the talks said Beijing was also seeking a show of respect from the trip.

Fentanyl

Mr Biden and Mr Xi agreed to cooperate on addressing the source of the opioid fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the US, the US official said.

Under the agreement, China will go directly after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursors.

Iran

The two leaders also discussed the unfolding crisis in the Middle East, with Mr Biden asking China to weigh in with Iran and urge it to avoid steps that could be seen as provocative, the senior US official told reporters.

Chinese officials told the US side that they had engaged in discussions with Iran on regional risks.

Artificial intelligence

The two leaders also discussed AI and agreed to get experts together to discuss the risks of the technology.

The senior US official said both sides were “very much focused” on practices regarding AI that could be dangerous or destabilising, but not ready for any mutual declaration.

REUTERS