A White House statement said Biden and Xi had “a broad, strategic discussion,” including areas where interests and values converge and diverge. The conversation focused on economic issues, climate change and COVID-19, a senior US official told reporters. “President Biden underscored the United States’ enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict,” the statement said. But the official also acknowledged that the United States’ ability to change China’s behavior may be limited, and that Washington must largely focus on shoring up the US competitiveness and rallying partners and allies. “We also think that essentially Beijing’s actions are quieter than their words,” the official said.

Source: Egypt Independent September 10, 2021 05:26 UTC