Xi Jinping

The reason behind Xi Jinping’s refusal is the constraint in the US and China relationship, the report said. Xi insisted that Washington should first adopt a less strident tone toward Beijing. Another reason cited by a US official was that the rebuttal was due to the ongoing concerns of COVID-19.

The in-depth communication concerning the bilateral relations as well as major international issues between the two heads of state is vital for development of the bilateral ties, and the two sides should bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible for the good of the people in both countries.

The White House said that the discussion, as per Biden, was part of Washington's ongoing effort to "responsibly manage the competition" between the US and China. Meanwhile, Beijing's state-run Xinhua news agency said that the two leaders "had candid, in-depth and extensive strategic communication and exchanges on China-US relations and relevant issues of mutual interest".

Now, the party, which is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding this year, is making it increasingly clear that it intends to insert itself into the private lives of Chinese citizens to an extent not seen in decades.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met the new Chinese ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, in an all-important meeting in Washington on Thursday, which is likely to steer the US further away from the implacable acrimony of the Donald Trump years. The run-up to the meeting has been anything but harmonious with both sides accusing each other of various violations and embittering relations.

Speaking from the balcony of the Tiananmen Gate, Xi underlined the achievements of the Chinese Communist Party and talked about the role of the CCP in establishing China as a global power. Talking about Hong Kong, Xi said that Beijing helped restore order after large anti-government protests had erupted in the autonomous city in 2019.

For President Xi Jinping and his hardline supporters in the party, the occasion comes as a much-awaited diversion from burning issues like ethnic strife, the Covid-19 pandemic-induced economic disparities and rising unemployment, pro-democracy demands in Hong Kong and voices for independence in Taiwan, apart from growing criticism from a multitude of neighbours involved in territorial disputes with China.

Xi arrived at the main venue of the Great Hall of the People at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday and waved to Putin, who had joined in from the main venue of the Kremlin, reports Xinhua news agency. He Lifeng, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and head of the National Development and Reform Commission, co-chaired the ceremony with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak.

During the phone call with Xi on Wednesday, Biden was also forthright on human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang and on Beijing's trade practices, according to an account of their conversation from the White House.