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China-US relations: Beijing seeks to look beyond Ukraine war in call between presidents
- China’s stance on the Ukraine war is expected to be discussed by Xi and Biden on Friday in their first call since Russia invaded its neighbour
- Analysts say the Taiwan issue may be on China’s agenda, with Beijing urging the US to stick to their agreements
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Beijing will seek to look at its relations with the United States beyond merely focusing on the Ukraine crisis in the upcoming conversation between the Chinese and US presidents, according to diplomatic observers.
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The call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday comes months after their last virtual summit in November and is the first direct talk between the two since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It follows months of Chinese officials openly expressing frustration that China-US relations remained tense, with Beijing officials saying the US had failed to live up to its promises over issues such as Taiwan.
According to a readout from China’s foreign ministry on Thursday, the call on Friday evening is at the invitation of the US side. It said Xi would exchange views with Biden “on China-US relations and issues of mutual concern”, without mentioning Ukraine.
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US President Biden calls Russian leader Putin a ‘pure thug’ and a ‘murderous dictator’
US President Biden calls Russian leader Putin a ‘pure thug’ and a ‘murderous dictator’
The White House confirmed that the Ukraine war was on the agenda, along with “managing the competition” between two countries and other issues of mutual concern.
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