Lima: U.S. President Joe Biden renewed calls to keep Sino-U.S. rivalry from veering into conflict, with Chinese President Xi Jinping stressing his opposition to "decoupling" between the world's two largest economies, as they held their last summit as presidents in Peru on Saturday. Biden and Xi held the meeting on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima amid expectations that President-elect Donald Trump could take a hard-line stance on trade with China and other China-related issues once he takes office in January.According to Yonhap News Agency, the meeting came as Washington has been seeking cooperation with Beijing on multiple global challenges, including North Korea's growing military threats and its troop deployment aimed at supporting Russia's protracted war in Ukraine. "How we're getting along together can impact the rest of the world, and our two countries cannot let any of this competition veer into conflict," Biden said according to a pool report from the White House p ress corps. "That's our responsibility, and over the last four years I think we've proven it's possible to have this relationship," he added.Xi underscored his "consistent" belief that a stable relationship between the U.S. and China is "critical" not only to the interests of the Chinese and American peoples but also to the "future and destiny of the entire humanity." But he cautioned against "decoupling" between the two major powers. "In an age of a new round of flourishing sci-tech revolution and industrial transformation, neither decoupling nor supply-chain disruption is the solution. Only mutually beneficial cooperation can lead to common development," Xi was quoted by Beijing's foreign ministry as saying.His remarks came amid concerns that trade friction between Washington and Beijing could further escalate if Trump makes good on his campaign pledge to impose a 60 percent tariff on Chinese goods. Xi also said that "small yard, high fences" is not what a major country should pursue, referring to the B iden administration's approach that keeps tight restrictions on select key technologies while ensuring the normal flow of trade in other sectors. "Only openness and sharing can advance the well-being of humanity," Xi said. "As two major countries, China and the United States should bear in mind the interests of the whole world, and inject more certainty and positive energy into the turbulent world."The summit was expected to discuss North Korea's troop deployment to support Russia's war in Ukraine and its provocative activities as Washington has wanted China to play a constructive role in addressing a range of issues concerning the recalcitrant regime. The upcoming bilateral meeting will be the third in-person summit between Biden and Xi since Biden took office in January 2021. The presidents previously met on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in Bali in 2022 and on the margins of the APEC summit in California a year ago.
- September 23, 2026
