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China will “strive for a smooth transition” in relations with the United States, President Xi Jinping told his counterpart Joe Biden on Saturday, shortly before Donald Trump regains the White House, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.
Both countries should “continue to explore the correct way” to get along and “achieve long-term peaceful coexistence,” Xi said at the talks held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru, the agency said.
The meeting between the leaders of the world’s top two economies comes two months before Trump takes office in January, amid concerns of new trade wars and diplomatic upheaval.
In his first White House term, the Republican engaged in a bruising trade war with China, imposing tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese products and seeing retaliation from Beijing. He has embraced a similar stance on the campaign trail.
Xi warned Saturday that ties between both countries could “encounter twists and turns or even regress” if one side regarded the other as an opponent or enemy.
Also in attendance at the talks were US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among other officials.
The Chinese delegation included Cai Qi, a top-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Commerce Minister Wang Wentao.
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