Xi Jinping Tells Joe Biden To 'Stop Arming Taiwan' In 'Blunt' Talks: 'Reunification…Is Unstoppable'

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in “blunt” talks, urged U.S. President Joe Biden to stop supplying arms to Taiwan.

What Happened: Xi appealed to the U.S. to cease arming Taiwan and endorse China’s peaceful reunification, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry. 

Xi also underscored that the reunification of Taiwan with China is “inevitable.”

“The US side should … stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will [realize] reunification, and this is unstoppable,” Xi told Biden.

The two leaders agreed to reinstate military communications “on the foundation of equality and respect,” Chinese state media reported. 

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Alongside the resumption of military discussions, Biden and Xi consented to establish joint government dialogues on matters of artificial intelligence and a task force on counternarcotics cooperation.

Why It Matters: The previous round of military talks between the two superpowers had been paused since August of last year after a visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022. 

The face-to-face talks between President Biden and President Xi, which lasted about four hours, covered a range of issues straining U.S.-China relations and resulted in a commitment to closer communication between the two countries. Xi also voiced his discontent with the U.S. sanctions and other actions against Chinese firms, stating that they “severely harm China’s lawful interests.”

Meanwhile, Biden attributed the positive outcome of their meeting to “just talking, just being blunt with one another so there's no misunderstanding.”

Photos by Lev Radin and 360b on Shutterstock

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