Washington, Nov. 10, (dpa/GNA) - US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that he would want to discuss “red lines” in a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Biden said that he would want to lay out “what each of our red lines are” in potential talks with Xi on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Bali. The White House has yet to confirm whether such a meeting will take place.
“Look, I’m not willing to make any fundamental concessions,” Biden told reporters in a post-election press conference at the White House when asked whether he would tell Xi that Washington is willing to defend Taiwan militarily in the event of a Chinese invasion.
“What I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what each of our red lines are, understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be in the critical interests in the United States, and to determine whether or not they conflict with one another,” the US president said. “And if they do, how to resolve and how to work it out.”
Biden went on to reiterate that Washington’s policy towards Taiwan had not changed “at all from the very beginning.”
“I’m sure we’ll discuss… Taiwan, I’m sure we’ll discuss a number of other issues,” Biden told reporters. “There’s a lot we’re going to have to discuss.”
In the past, Biden has pledged military support for Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion of the island, drawing ire from Beijing.
China’s communist leadership considers Taiwan part of the People’s Republic and has threatened to take it by force if it makes any moves to formal independence.
The US has committed itself to Taiwan’s defence capability, which so far has mainly meant arms deliveries.
Biden and Xi are among the leaders expected at the G20 summit in Indonesia next week.
GNA