U.S. President Joe Biden says the aim of his meeting with China's President Xi Jinping is to "better understand each other."
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00:00 Ready, close. Ready, face forward.
00:07 [applause]
00:10 [applause]
00:20 President Biden, what's your message to China today?
00:25 This time of year, about a year and a day ago, we met in Bali on the sidelines of the G20.
00:33 Since then, key members of our teams have had important discussions
00:39 on issues that matter to both our nations and to the world.
00:43 But as always, there's no substitute to face-to-face discussions.
00:48 I've always found our discussions straightforward and frank, and I've always appreciated them.
00:53 Mr. President, we've known each other for a long time.
00:56 We haven't always agreed, which has not surprised anyone.
01:00 But our meetings have always been candid, straightforward, and useful.
01:05 I've never doubted what you've told me in terms of your candid nature in which you speak.
01:10 I value our conversation because I think it's paramount that you and I
01:15 understand each other clearly, leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication.
01:22 We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict,
01:26 and we also have to manage it responsibly, that competition.
01:31 That's what the United States wants and what we intend to do.
01:35 I also believe it's what the world wants for both of us, candid exchange.
01:41 We also have a responsibility to our people and the world to work together
01:47 when we see it in our interest to do so.
01:50 And the critical global challenges we face, from climate change to counter-narcotics
01:55 to artificial intelligence, demand our joint efforts.
01:59 Last time we met in Bali, you said it was a year and a day ago.
02:06 A lot has happened since then.
02:10 The world has emerged from the COVID pandemic,
02:16 but is still under its tremendous impacts.
02:20 The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish.
02:26 Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption,
02:29 and protectionism is rising.
02:31 All these are grave problems.
02:34 The China-U.S. relationship, which is the most important bilateral relationship in the world,
02:39 should be perceived and envisioned in a broad context of the accelerating global transformations unseen in a century.
02:49 It should develop in a way that benefits our two peoples
02:53 and fulfills our responsibility for human progress.
02:59 The China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing over the past 50 years or more,
03:04 and it always faces problems of one kind or another.
03:07 Yet it has kept moving forward amid twists and turns.
03:11 For two large countries like China and the United States,
03:14 turning their back on each other is not an option.
03:17 It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other,
03:20 and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.
03:25 I am still of the view that major country competition is not the pervading trend of current times
03:31 and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large.
03:37 Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed,
03:41 and one country's success is an opportunity for the other.
03:46 It is an objective fact that China and the United States are different in history, culture, social system, and development path.
03:53 However, as long as they respect each other, co-exist in peace, and pursue win-win cooperation,
03:59 they will be fully capable of rising above differences
04:02 and find the right way for the two major countries to get along with each other,
04:07 if in the promising future of the bilateral relationship.
04:12 Mr. President, you and I, we are at the helm of China-U.S. relations.
04:19 We shoulder heavy responsibilities for the two peoples, for the world, and for history.
04:25 I look forward to having an in-depth exchange of views and reach new understandings with you
04:35 on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations
04:39 and on major issues affecting world peace and development.
04:48 I wish to thank you for your thoughtful arrangements for our meeting today
04:59 and for our participation at the APEC meeting.