Committed to 'managing' China-US ties 'responsibly', Biden assures Xi Jinping

US President Joe Biden on Monday conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping his dedication to handling bilateral relations “responsibly”.

The assurance came as the leaders exchanged congratulatory messages to commemorate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic ties between their nations.

The two leaders previously met during the APEC summit in San Francisco in November, where they reached an agreement to ease tensions between the world’s top two economies.

In his message to Xi, Biden acknowledged that since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1979, the connection between the US and China has contributed to the prosperity and opportunities of both nations and the global community.

Emphasising his commitment to responsibly managing this significant relationship, Biden expressed eagerness to further enhance the US-China ties, building on the progress achieved by their predecessors and through continued discussions and meetings between the two heads of state, as reported by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.

Their summit took place after a comprehensive round of talks between high-level officials of the two countries.

In his letter, Xi urged Biden to earnestly implement the outcomes of the summit, saying history has already proven and will continue to fully prove that mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation are the right way for China and the US to get along with each other as two major countries.

Xi pointed out that he and Biden, during their meeting in San Francisco, laid out a future-oriented “San Francisco Vision,” charting the course for the development of China-US relations.

He called on China and the United States to earnestly implement the important common understandings and outcomes reached by the two heads of state, and take concrete actions to promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations.

Xi stressed that he is willing to work with Biden to continue to steer the course of China-US relations to benefit the two countries and their people and promote the cause of world peace and development.

During their summit, Xi and Biden agreed to resume high-level military communications which were severed after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022. China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified, even by force.

The meeting between Xi and Biden marked the first time the rival leaders have spoken in person in more than a year.

Relations plummeted when the US accused China of sending a spy balloon across its airspace in February last year, but have since started improving.

With inputs from agencies