Biden Speaks With Chinese President On Human Rights

February 11, 2021 Diplomacy, Joe Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held their first telephone call as leaders, with Biden saying a free and open Indo-Pacific was a priority and Xi warning confrontation would be a ‘disaster’ for both nations.

Biden also underscored his “fundamental concerns about Beijing’s coercive and unfair practices, its crackdown in Hong Kong, reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan”, the White House said in a statement.

The telephone call was the first call between Xi and a U.S. president since the Chinese leader spoke with former President Donald Trump in March last year. Since then, relations between the two countries have plunged to their worst level in decades, with Trump blaming China for the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Presidents Biden and Xi hold first phone call amid tense U.S.-China relations https://t.co/NPESn7kvYm pic.twitter.com/ACH0WSZo98

— Reuters (@Reuters) February 11, 2021