US President Joe Biden on Tuesday emphasized the pursuit of improved relations with China rather than a desire to "decouple" from the country in a recent press conference on climate change.
The President's comments set a positive tone for the upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, scheduled in San Francisco during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Biden expressed his vision of success for the summit, emphasizing the normalization of bilateral communication. He highlighted the importance of being able to engage in crisis discussions and maintaining military contacts.
"As I told you, we are not trying to decouple from China. What we are trying to do is change the relationship for the better," Biden said during a press conference on efforts to address climate change.
"Get back on a normal course of corresponding, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another in a crisis, being able to make sure our militaries still have contact with one another," he added.
However, he also voiced concerns about China's trade practices, stating that he would not support positions requiring the surrender of trade secrets for investments in China.
"I am not going to continue to sustain the support for positions where if we want to invest in China, we have to turn over all of our trade secrets," he said.
The Biden administration has focused on "de-risking" the relationship with Beijing in recent months, seeking international collaboration on various global challenges.
The summit agenda is expected to cover a broad range of issues, including bilateral relations, North Korean threats, Taiwan, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.
While this meeting will be the second in-person summit between Biden and Xi, it marks their seventh interaction since Biden assumed office in January 2021.
The leaders aim to address key global issues and foster a more constructive relationship between the United States and China, with an emphasis on open communication and cooperation.
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