BEIJING, November 16. /TASS/. The United States should exercise caution on issues that involve China’s sovereignty and security, Chinese President Xi Jinping said during a video conference with his American counterpart Joe Biden.
"China will certainly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests. It is important that the US properly handle the relevant issues with prudence," the website of China’s Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.
The Chinese leader also noted that Beijing and Washington should properly resolve the differences in both countries’ ties, "managing differences and sensitive issues in a constructive way to prevent China-US relations from getting derailed or out of control." According to him, "it is only natural for the two countries to have differences." "The key is to manage them constructively so that they don't magnify or exacerbate," the Chinese leader emphasized.
He also noted that Beijing and Washington should bolster coordination and interaction on key regional and global issues. "China and the US need to work together with the rest of the international community to defend world peace, promote global development, and safeguard a fair and equitable international order," Xi concluded.
According to China Central Television, the online meeting between the two leaders began at 08:46 Beijing time (03:46 Moscow time). The first half of the meeting lasted for about 1 hour 56 minutes after which the sides took a break. The second half of the meeting began at 11:06 Beijing time (06:06 Moscow time) and went on for about 1 hour 18 minutes. In total, the talks carried on for roughly 3 hours 14 minutes.
This is the first official meeting between the two leaders since the US president assumed office in January 2021. Earlier, they exchanged messages and held telephone conversations. Their most recent phone talk was on September 10.