U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual meeting on Tuesday that has seen the two leaders pledge to step up cooperation.
The conversation between the two figures looked quite friendly, especially when President Xi Jinping called Biden an old friend.
It is seen as a good start for discussions on critical issues, given that relations between the two countries have deteriorated since the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Even so, no major success could be achieved from the meeting, in which Biden has raised U.S. concerns about human rights, China’s aggression against Taiwan and trade issues.
Biden has told Xi Jinping that the U.S. needs to protect their jobs and industries from unfair trade and economic practices. He also stressed the importance of proper protection to ensure competition does not provoke conflict and to keep telecommunication lines open.
Meanwhile, Chinese television networks reported that Xi Jinping expressed his readiness to work with President Biden to build interests and take active steps to move the two countries' relations in a positive direction.
He also outlined three principles for US-China relations in the new era, namely mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and fair cooperation should be followed.
