Biden (left) and Xi met in California face-to-face for the first time in a year (Reuters)

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a "constructive and productive" summit in California on Wednesday, which relaunched dialogue between the two rival countries, but also brought to light the differences between Washington and Beijing, especially over the Taiwan file.

During Biden's press conference immediately after the nearly 4-hour summit, Biden said he still considered his Chinese counterpart a "dictator," a statement likely to echo in Beijing after a direct summit between the two leaders following months of preparations.

Asked if he still saw Xi as a dictator, Biden said, "Well, he's a dictator in the sense that he's a man who runs a state, a communist state, based on a system of government that is very different from ours."

The Chinese side did not immediately comment on the remarks by Biden, who had made similar statements last June, which Beijing described at the time as absurd and provocative.

Biden said Wednesday's summit with Xi was "constructive and productive," noting in particular that it led to an agreement on the resumption of high-level military talks between the two countries and another on measures aimed at combating fentanyl.

"I just finished several hours of meetings with President Xi, and I think these were the most constructive and productive discussions we've had," Biden said during the news conference.


Compatibility and disagreements

One of the highlights of the summit, held in Woodside, California, was a US-China agreement "to resume high-level military talks on the basis of equality and respect," China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Xi and Biden also agreed to hold bilateral intergovernmental talks on artificial intelligence, as well as work on a working group on anti-drug cooperation between the two countries, Xinhua said.

According to the agency, "the two presidents agreed to hold intergovernmental talks between China and the United States on artificial intelligence."

Xi told Biden that China does not seek to "bypass or remove the United States," stressing that in return "the United States should not seek to suppress and contain China."

Xi told his host that "China will not follow the old path of colonization and plunder, nor will it follow the wrong path of hegemony when a country becomes strong," Xinhua said.

Taiwan is one of the main points of contention between the United States and China (Al Jazeera)

Trade and Taiwan dilemmas

Xi also warned his U.S. counterpart that Beijing was unhappy with U.S. sanctions and restrictions against its companies.

"U.S. actions against China regarding export restrictions, investment scrutiny and unilateral sanctions seriously harm China's legitimate interests," Xi said.

For his part, Biden announced that he agreed with his Chinese counterpart to speak by phone "directly and immediately" in the event of any crisis.

Biden said during his news conference that he and his Chinese counterpart agreed to "keep the lines of communication open, including between me and President Xi," adding, "He and I agreed that any of us can take the phone and call directly and he will answer it immediately."

But this positive atmosphere has not overcome the deep differences between the world's two largest economies, especially trade and Taiwan.


Xinhua quoted Xi as telling Biden that "U.S. actions against China regarding export controls... Investment and unilateral sanctions seriously harm China's legitimate interests."

Xi also demanded that US Secretary of State Joe Biden stop arming Taiwan, stressing the "inevitability" of re-annexing the island to mainland China, according to Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Xi as telling Biden that "the U.S. side should stop arming Taiwan and support China's peaceful reunification. China will achieve reunification, this is inevitable."

The US president welcomed his Chinese counterpart to a luxury residence in Woodside in the hills of California, where they held a business meeting followed by lunch and then a short walk.

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies