“The two heads of state had an open and detailed exchange of views on China-US relations and issues of mutual concern,” state broadcaster CCTV said.
Mr. Biden urged his counterpart to preserve calm around Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island claimed by Beijing, as it prepares to inaugurate a new leader.
“[Prezidentas] emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the rule of law and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea,” the White House said in a statement.
Xi Jinping, for his part, said the Taiwan issue was an uncrossable red line, Chinese state media reported.
“Xi Jinping stressed that the Taiwan issue is the first uncrossable red line in China-US relations,” the state-run Xinhua news agency said in a statement, adding: “We will not allow separatist activities and external condescension to ‘Taiwan independence’ forces to go unchecked.” “
The White House said Mr. Biden rejected Xi Jinping’s call for Washington to lift a broad ban on the supply of advanced microchips.
Mr. Biden “stressed that the United States will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that advanced U.S. technologies are not used to undermine our national security without unreasonably restricting trade and investment,” the White House said in a statement.
According to Chinese state media, the leader of the East Asian giant told Mr. Biden that Beijing “will not sit idly by” if the United States continues to stifle what he said is China’s high-tech development.
Xi Jinping stressed that “the United States has taken endless measures to suppress China’s economy, trade, science and technology, and the list of sanctions against Chinese companies is getting longer,” according to a recording of the phone conversation between the two leaders published by the Xinhua news agency.
It added that the Chinese leader indicated that “if the United States persists in suppressing China’s high-tech development and taking away China’s legitimate right to development, we will not sit idly by.”
