Unfair economic practices a worry, says Biden in first phone call with Xi

Xi reiterated during the call that cooperation was the only choice and that the two countries need to properly manage disputes in a constructive manner

Joe Biden, in his first conversation as president with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, spoke of his concern about China’s “coercive and unfair economic practices” as well as human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, according to a White House account of their telephone call.
 
Biden also expressed misgivings about the country’s growing restrictions on political freedoms in Hong Kong and “increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan,” in the call, which took place Thursday morning Beijing time.
 
Biden, who wished Xi a happy Lunar New Year, was “committed to pursuing practical, results-oriented engagements when it