Rising China not a challenge for US, Premier Li Qiang told Joe Biden on G20 sidelines

Li Qiang held brief talks with several foreign leaders including US President Biden at the G20 summit in India, Chinese foreign ministry confirms

Unscripted encounter was highest-level engagement since Xi-Biden talks in Bali, but analysts not hopeful of significant improvement in ties

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang (centre) and other international leaders at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, held over September 9-10. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 10:51pm, 11 Sep 2023Updated: 2:19am, 12 Sep 2023

China’s rise is not a challenge for the US and the two sides should strengthen communication, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in India.

However, the brief encounter was unlikely to significantly improve fractious bilateral relations in the short term, analysts said.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday confirmed that Li held brief talks with several foreign leaders including Biden on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi, where he highlighted the need for more US-China engagement.

“During the brief conversation with President Biden, Premier Li stressed that China’s development is an opportunity, not a challenge, to the US and the two countries should step up exchanges,” ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said during a regular press briefing in Beijing.

“President Biden said that the US hopes to see China’s economy growing and will not hurt its growth,” she added.

Military-to-military exchanges, however, are still on pause over continued US sanctions on Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu.