Biden-Xi Meeting: "We have made real progress"
3:43 AM EST, November 16, 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday. The leaders and their delegations concluded after more than two hours of discussions in San Francisco. "We have made real progress," Biden announced following the talks.
"I appreciated the conversation I had today with Chairman Xi. It's vital that we clearly understand each other, leader to leader. There are significant global challenges that necessitate our joint leadership. Today, we made substantial progress," Joe Biden posted on portal X.
He didn't offer more specifics. However, at the meeting's outset, Biden mentioned his intention to discuss cooperation on climate change, artificial intelligence, and drug trafficking issues with the Chinese leader. In addition, he wished to discuss ways to prevent power rivalry from turning into physical conflict.
The White House shared that the discussions between the leaders and their delegations at a villa near San Francisco concluded at 10:35 AM Eastern Time, slightly over two hours after they began.
What did the leaders agree on?
Chinese state media reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed to resume high-level military communication following their two-hour summit. The agreement includes planned meetings between defense ministry representatives, consultations on marine military security, and talks between commanders.
The two sides also agreed to establish a working group dedicated to the fight against drugs and initiate an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence, reported Xinhua Agency.
As per Xinhua, the leaders pledged to augment the number of flights starting next year and foster exchanges in education, culture, sports, and business.
A senior CNN official confirmed these agreements. He also told CNN that Biden suggested to Xi that China should exert pressure on Iran to avoid exacerbating the already tense situation in the Middle East. Both leaders emphasized their intent to stabilize the relationship between their countries after several months of escalating tensions.
A senior CNN official revealed that Xi agreed to mechanisms designed to forestall potential military miscalculations, creating forums for each side to voice their concerns.
