Highlights of Xi-Biden meeting ahead of G20 summit in Indonesia

BALI, Indonesia - Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, had a candid and in-depth exchange of views here on Monday on issues of strategic importance in China-US relations and on major global and regional issues.

The following are some of the highlights of their first in-person meeting since Biden became president of the United States.

PUT CHINA-US TIES BACK ON TRACK

-- President Xi pointed out the current state of China-US relations is not in the fundamental interests of the two countries and peoples, and is not what the international community expects. China and the United States need to have a sense of responsibility for history, for the world and for the people, explore the right way to get along with each other in the new era, put the relationship on the right course, and bring it back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole.

OPEN, TRANSPARENT DOMESTIC, FOREIGN POLICIES

-- Xi pointed out that the domestic and foreign policies of the CPC and the Chinese government are open and transparent, with clearly stated and transparent strategic intentions and great continuity and stability.

-- Xi said China remains firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, always decides its position and attitude based on the merits of issues, and advocates resolving disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. China is committed to deepening and expanding global partnerships, safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

-- China will stay committed to peaceful development, open development and win-win development, participate in and contribute to global development, and pursue common development with countries across the world, said Xi.

NOT ZERO-SUM GAME

-- Xi said China-US relations should not be a zero-sum game where one side out-competes or thrives at the expense of the other. The successes of China and the United States are opportunities, not challenges, for each other. The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together. The two sides should form a correct perception of each other's domestic and foreign policies and strategic intentions. China-US interactions should be defined by dialogue and win-win cooperation, not confrontation and zero-sum competition.

-- The two sides should respect each other, coexist in peace, pursue win-win cooperation, and work together to ensure that China-US relations move forward on the right course without losing direction or speed, still less having a collision, Xi added.

-- Xi said observing the basic norms of international relations and the three Sino-US joint communiques is vitally important for the two sides to manage differences and disagreements and prevent confrontation and conflict; indeed, it is the most important guardrail and safety net for China-US relations.

-- There is always competition in the world, but competition should be about learning from each other to become one's better self and make progress together, not about taking others down in a zero-sum game, he added.

FIRST RED LINE

-- Xi stressed that 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.

-- Anyone that seeks to split Taiwan from China will be violating the fundamental interests of the Chinese nation; the Chinese people will absolutely not let that happen, he added.