WASHINGTON

In their first telephone call since meeting face-to-face in November, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping Tuesday discussed hot-button issues, including military-to-military communications and climate change, according to the White House. 

The leaders also discussed Taiwan, bilateral trade, the risks of AI, anti-drug efforts, and people-to-people exchanges.

Biden "emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea."

"He raised concerns over the PRC’s support for Russia’s defense industrial base and its impact on European and transatlantic security, and he emphasized the United States’ enduring commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the White House said in a statement, using an acronym to refer to China.

"President Biden also raised continued concerns about the PRC’s unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices, which harm American workers and families. The President emphasized that the United States will continue to take necessary actions to prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment," it added.

The call comes ahead of a flurry of diplomatic engagements with high-ranking officials from both nations, including Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's visit Thursday to China and Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit in the coming weeks.

The top defense officials from both nations are expected to soon have a telephone call, and Chinese officials are also expected soon to visit the US, a senior American administration official told reporters ahead of Biden's call with Xi.

Biden has sought to reestablish high-level contacts between Washington and Beijing following a major row sparked by the February 2023 downing of an aircraft that the Biden administration said was a Chinese spy balloon. China maintains that it was an errant weather balloon that was blown off course.

Regardless, the downing of the aircraft brought US-Sino relations to a marked low, and efforts for more than a year have been focused on restoring ties.

An official who spoke to reporters Tuesday said the US and China "recognize the value in more regular touch points between the leaders," referring to Biden and Xi.

"We're doing that now via calls. I would anticipate, you know, depending what happens in the coming year, we would hope there would be a chance for another in-person meeting, but don't have anything even to speculate on when that might be. But certainly, value in that in-person meeting and the calls in the interim," said the official.  

'Taiwan is 1st red line'

Xi, for his part, stressed that the Taiwan question is the "first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations," according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry statement.

He urged Washington to translate President Biden’s commitment of not supporting “Taiwan independence” into concrete actions, it said.

"If the U.S. side is willing to seek mutually beneficial cooperation and share in China’s development dividends, it will always find China’s door open; but if it is adamant on containing China’s hi-tech development and depriving China of its legitimate right to development, China is not going to sit back and watch," Xi was quoted as saying.

He also stressed China’s position on Hong Kong-related issues, human rights, the South China Sea, and other issues.

Biden, said the Chinese statement, reiterated that Washington does not seek a new Cold War, its objective is not to change China’s system, its alliances are not targeted against China, the U.S. does not support “Taiwan independence,” and the US does not seek conflict with China.

"The US follows the one-China policy," Biden was quoted as saying.

The two presidents also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and other issues.