Biden and Xi meet after three years, Disagree on Taiwan

Indonesia: American President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Monday during their first in-person summit in three years. The leaders disagreed over Taiwan and found common ground on the issue of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

After the meeting, the White House announced that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit China. Biden and Xi are in Bali for the G20 summit that starts on Tuesday.

Xi asserted that Taiwan is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. Biden responded by saying that the US opposes any changes on Taiwan. He also declared that Washington is ready to defend the island by providing military support.

Biden also objected to Beijing's coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan. He said it undermines peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region. He also asked Xi to rein in North Korea, which has been conducting a record-breaking number of missile tests. There have been speculations that Pyongyang will soon carry out its seventh nuclear test.

Biden said both Beijing and Washington "share responsibility" to show the world that they can "manage differences, prevent competition from becoming conflict." Xi said the world has "come to a crossroads" and the world expects that China and the US will properly handle the relationship, reported AFP.

A statement from the White House said Biden and Xi have agreed on a potential nuclear war Russia may start. They "reiterated their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won and underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine."