- “Not like my generation used to say, it’s not all Kumbaya, but it’s clear,” Biden said
- Biden officially opened the APEC summit in a speech to CEOs
- He acknowledged concerns about tensions between Washington and Beijing
President Joe Biden admitted Thursday that it’s “not all kumbaya” with China after calling President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and saying the US would use “strong diplomacy” as it moves forward.
“Not as my generation would say in the past: It’s not all Kumbaya, but it is clear,” Biden said in a speech to CEOs at the APEC summit.
“We have real differences in Beijing when it comes to maintaining a fair and liberal economic playing field and protecting your intellectual property. We will continue to tackle them with smart policies and strong diplomacy,” he added.
Biden’s strong words came after he held a nearly four-hour meeting with Xi on the outskirts of San Francisco on Wednesday, infuriating China when he called its leader a “dictator.”
“Not like my generation used to say, it’s not all Kumbaya, but it’s clear,” President Joe Biden said
After the meeting, Biden called Xi a “dictator” even as he said US-China relations were back on track with China’s agreement to crack down on fentanyl production and the resumption of military- military communications.
“Well, look, he’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a man who runs a country that is a communist country and that is based on a form of government that is completely different from ours,” Biden said, asking whether he stuck to his own earlier assessment. . “Regardless, we have made progress,” he added.
In response, China’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly opposes” the “wrong and irresponsible” comments.
Beijing spokesman Mao Ning told reporters at a routine briefing on Thursday: “This statement is extremely wrong and irresponsible political manipulation.
“It should be noted that there will always be those with ulterior motives who seek to inflame and damage US-China relations; they are doomed to failure.’
Biden addressed CEOs and other attendees on Thursday as he officially opened APEC.
In his remarks, he struggled to pronounce the name of a company before giving up.
“It’s better not to try and not to mispronounce it,” he said as the CEOs laughed.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group has 21 members, but is overshadowed by US-China relations.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden take a walk after their talks at the Filoli Estate outside San Francisco
The summit officially opened on Thursday but started on a more positive note after Biden and Xi had their meeting, easing tensions that had risen over the past year.
Biden acknowledged concerns from allies and business leaders about relations between Washington and Beijing.
He said he “intends to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China.” While we were talking yesterday, President Xi and I asked what the world expects of us, and I promise you that we will.”
He noted that they agreed to keep the lines of communication open.
‘We have promised to work together. We will continue our commitment to diplomacy, avoiding surprises, preventing misunderstandings and achieving a stable relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Not only good for the two economies, but also for the world. stable relationship. It’s good for everyone,” Biden said.
Biden and Xi agreed to restore military-to-military ties, and Xi pledged to crack down on China’s production of the ingredients that are allowing fentanyl to flow into the United States and cause a large number of deaths.
However, the two sides remain as far apart as ever on the Taiwan issue.
Biden said he had given Xi a blunt warning on Wednesday not to interfere in Taiwan’s elections.
“We uphold the commitment that there is a One China policy,” Biden said at a news conference on Tuesday. ‘I’m not going to change that. That’s not going to change.’
“That’s about the extent to which we’ve talked about it,” he said of the charged topic.