Biden seeks to ‘manage differences’ in meeting with Xi

By Merve Aydogan

BALI, Indonesia (AA) - US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday met in Indonesia's Bali on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.

"As leaders of two nations, we share responsibility, in my view, to show that China and the US can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation," Biden said in his remarks during the bilateral meeting.

The US president stressed that such cooperation between the two countries is "critical" not only for China and the US but also for the international community.

Biden further said that the "world expects, I believe, from China and the US to play a key role in addressing global challenges from climate changes to food and security."

For his part, the Chinese leader said the face-to-face meeting between the two leaders came after more than five years.

"It's good to see you. The last time we met was in 2017, during the Davos Economic Forum, that was more than 5 years ago," Xi said.

Despite keeping lines of communication open, he said none of those discussions could substitute face-to-face exchanges.

Noting the long-standing relations between China and the US, Xi said: "We have gained experience and lessons. History is the best textbook."

Noting that the two countries are currently facing many challenges, the Chinese president said the international community expects the relations between China and the US to develop as it is "the fundamental interest."