Taiwan 'first red line', should not be crossed, Xi Jinping tells Joe Biden

No imminent attempt by China to invade Taiwan: Biden

Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden during their first in-person meeting since 2017 that the Taiwan question was the “very core of China’s core interests” and the “first red line” in bilateral ties that must not be crossed.

At a meeting held on the Indonesian island of Bali, the first between the two leaders, Xi urged the US leader to translate US commitments made to Beijing regarding Taiwan into concrete actions.

Biden objected to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” toward Taiwan and raised human rights concerns about Beijing’s conduct in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong “The Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations,” Xi was quoted as saying in a readout published by Xinhua.

In a news conference following the meeting, Biden reiterated US support for its longstanding “One China” policy. He also said that despite China’s recent saber rattling, he does not believe “there’s any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan.” “It never has to come to that,” he added.

Biden and Xi also agreed that “a nuclear war should never be fought” and jointly opposed the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine alongside reiterating the need to restore rugalr communications in the country, the White House said.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for coordinated global action to address international economic instability and fight back against actions of a “rogue state” like Russia. 

Sunak warned that Russia is trying to “asphyxiate the global economy” as he laid out a five-point plan of action.

The meeting, in the midst of Biden's seven-day, round-the-world trip, came as the superpowers aimed to “manage” differences between them as they compete for global influence amid increasing economic and security tensions.

“Not going to be able to work out everything with china, but no need for concern for a new cold war... Xi was direct and straightforward, think he is willing to compromise on certain key issues.”

- Joe Biden, US President

“China-us interactions should be defined by dialogue and win-win cooperation, not confrontation and zero-sum competition... Agreed to maintain strategic communication and conduct regular consultations.”

- Xi Jinping, Chinese President