The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations co-hosted a dinner welcoming China’s President Xi Jinping on November 15, 2023 in San Francisco, following the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and President Xi during the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also delivered remarks at the event.
The National Committee and its co-host, the US-China Business Council, were honored to host President Xi and Secretary Raimondo, consistent with our longstanding tradition of conducting events for visiting leaders from China. These events give people from both countries the opportunity to hear directly from Chinese and U.S. government leaders. Constructive communication leads to a more stable and productive U.S.-China relationship and is in the best interest of both countries and the global community.
Transcript
Ambassador Craig Allen: Please be seated. Now, to begin our program, please allow me to introduce the next speaker, Mr. Marc Casper, Chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council, and Chairman, President, and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Marc, thank you for kicking us off this evening.
Marc N. Casper: Thank you, Craig. Good evening, excellencies, ladies, and gentlemen. Thank you for joining us as we welcome His Excellency President Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China. Welcome back to the United States, Mr. President. I also would like to welcome U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo.
As Craig mentioned, I serve as the Chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council, and I’ve been a board member for many years. And the company I lead, Thermo Fisher Scientific, has been a proud member of the council for more than a decade. The business leaders who formed this group understand that we are stewards of a relationship that is historic in its importance. And for half a century now, the council has worked to further strengthen the relationship to benefit the people of both countries and society, overall.
This purpose aligns with Thermo Fisher’s mission, to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. We have more than 125,000 employees worldwide, 78,000 of which are in the APEC economies with a vast majority in the U.S. and China. They all come to work each day inspired to make a difference in our world.
During our 40-year history in China, we’ve partnered with Chinese companies and the government to improve air quality, advance healthcare, and ensure food safety. And American companies like Thermo Fisher, have been at the forefront of China’s modernization, the benefits of which are eminently clear today. In return, according to the council, the U.S.-China commercial relationship supports more than one million American jobs, contributing to the success of American companies and the communities that we live in.
Along with the tremendous benefits of trade and investment, there are certainly challenges including the prevailing political dynamics. As we manage those dynamics, we seek stability and predictability in the business environment. Given the opportunity to compete fairly, we will continue to propel innovation and contribute to the prosperity in the U.S., in China, and around the globe.
Mr. President and Secretary Raimondo, the U.S. business community strongly supports productive government-to-government dialogue and progress in the relationship. Stated simply, we support open markets, fair competition, and innovation. This goal can be achieved while protecting the national security interests of each nation. We firmly believe that continued economic growth in the United States and China is essential to global stability.
We have an obligation to collaboratively address areas of great global need, including climate change, public health, and narcotics control. I must pause here to note that each of these imperatives is underpinned by scientific innovation. Mr. President and Secretary Raimondo, thank you for being with us this evening, and for your support for this bilateral economic relationship. It now gives me great pleasure to introduce the Honorable Gina Raimondo, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to deliver her remarks. Madam Secretary, thank you for being a strong and constructive partner to the American business community, and for your contributions to the stability of the U.S.-China relationship.
Secretary Gina Raimondo: Thank you, Marc. Thank you, and good evening. And thank you to all of the hosts who have brought us together this evening. And special welcome to President Xi. Welcome back to San Francisco. We are delighted to have you here this evening, and so pleased that we’re able to host you. And thank you for your delegation, and for a very productive meeting this afternoon at Woodside.
The U.S. is, of course, very proud to be hosting APEC this year. When the President took office, he came to us, his team, and he said he had two key priorities. Number one, to reinvest in America, and number two, to reengage internationally. Through the Infrastructure Act, through the CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, we are indeed investing in America, making historic investments in America, our people, our infrastructure, our technology, our clean energy transition.
The strategy was to make some public sector investment that would draw forward a great deal of private sector investment, and that strategy’s working. Large-scale investments in semiconductor and clean energy production are up about 20-fold in the United States since 2019, and we’ve created more than 14 million jobs as a result. So, the early results are quite spectacular. And we’re engaging in the world, engaging internationally, through APEC and directly with China.
Earlier today, I was honored to join the Woodside Summit between President Biden and President Xi. The two men have, of course, known each other for a long time, have developed a rapport, and this in fact was their seventh interaction in President Biden’s administration. Now, of course, we all know that we have differences and I’m not gonna pretend otherwise. That being said, President Biden has been very clear that while we compete with China and other countries, we do not seek conflict, we do not seek confrontation, and we seek to de-escalate the tension.
In fact, I would argue the world requires us to manage this relationship responsibly and to find ways to resolve our bilateral disputes, to coordinate on regional and global issues, and to deliver on transnational challenges like climate change and global health that affect people around the world. Working together towards these goals reduces the risk in this relationship. And in order to do that, the foundation of that is direct, open, candid communication.
And I want you all to know that that is exactly what happened today between President Xi and President Biden, direct, open, candid communication. And because of it, we made progress today. We agreed to restart cooperation on illicit fentanyl to reduce the flow of precursor chemicals to drug cartels. I promise you this will save American lives, and thank you President Xi for your coordination and collaboration on that.
Prior to this job, I was the Governor of Rhode Island and I attended far too many funerals of people in their 20s who had overdosed and died. This cooperation will save American lives. We agreed to resume military-to-military and defense communication. Through these channels, we will manage tensions, avoid miscalculation, and prevent conflict. I think every businessperson in this room should have a bit more confidence that we are resuming the mill-to-mill communication because we’re managing the risk in this relationship, and bringing more stability to the relationship. And we agreed to work together more closely on artificial intelligence.
Now, the principles that govern the overall relationship, of course, underpin our economic relationship. We will…we have to protect what we must, but we will promote where we can. As Marc just said, we have a large consequential, significant economic relationship with China that sustains over a million jobs here in America. We want to trade with China. We want robust trade with China, on a level playing field that is reciprocal and that is fair. We want that with all of our large trading partners.
In fact, many in the U.S. business community, I’d say all of you here this evening, remain keenly interested to do business in China and to find ways to advance our bilateral economic relationship. I know that because half of you have come to see me to tell me that. But this is a fact, and President Biden said this today to President Xi, “A growing China, that plays by the rules in a level playing field,” as Marc said, “is a good thing. It’s in all of our interest.” We want to see China’s people do well. We want to see the Chinese economy prosper. We want to see Chinese people have economic prosperity. And as I said, trade between our two countries creates economic opportunity here in the United States.
As we try to meet our shared global challenges from climate to global health, to food security, it’s clear that effectively tackling these challenges will also require you in this room, the private sector. The private sector must contribute through capital, innovation, cutting-edge technology, and new products, if we are to solve the challenges that I just mentioned. And by fostering healthy economic competition and leveraging our private sector, we will deliver commercial solutions to these shared challenges.
Now, obviously, Marc mentioned national security. Our priority, indeed China’s priority, is to protect our own national security and defend our system of values. Bolstering our economic and national security requires us to diversify our supply chains, especially for critical goods, invest in our own industrial base, and adopt targeted, narrow, precise, protections to protect our most sensitive technology, quite frankly, so it can’t be used against us.
That being said, I wanna be very clear, the vast majority of our trade and investment relationship with China does not involve national security concerns, and we are committed to promoting reciprocal trade and investment in those areas. And I think that’s a very important message. For that to happen, obviously, we need to make progress in addressing the concerns of U.S. businesses, as Marc said, but I think we can do that.
There are concerns, but through candid and direct diplomacy, like what I saw and participated in today at Woodside, with hard work and good faith we will make progress on these issues. And I look forward to working with my Chinese counterparts like Minister Wong who’s here this evening, and with you in industry to resolve the economic issues that divide us so that we can develop a path forward that will deliver a safe and prosperous future for the people of both of our countries and contribute, in so doing, to global peace and stability. This economic relationship can be a ballast for the rest of the relationship and contribute to global stability.
I wanna end with this. When I was in Shanghai this summer, I had the opportunity to spend time at NYU Shanghai campus. And I spoke there with college students from China, Chinese students, and U.S. students studying together, shoulder to shoulder, in this classroom in Shanghai. They were optimistic, they were curious, they were candid. They asked me tough questions, actually. But I am hopeful…
Being with them, seeing their candor and curiosity and hope for the future gives me hope. Quite frankly, it gives me hope that with candid discussion, being practical, and working together, and keeping lines of communication open, that we, together, can build a foundation upon which those young people can build. And that’s the work before us and the work that I’m eager to do by engaging with my Chinese counterparts. So, thank you, Marc, a special thank you to President Xi. And I would now like to call to the podium, Evan Greenberg, to introduce our guest, President Xi of China.
Evan Greenberg: Thank you, Secretary Raimondo, for those welcoming comments, and thank you for your leadership. Good evening. I am Evan Greenberg, Chair of the National Committee on U.S.-China relations, and the CEO of Chubb Insurance. Tonight, I am honored to welcome President Xi Jinping.
It is fitting that we gather in San Francisco to hear from President Xi. This city is where he first touched American soil nearly four decades ago. In the decades since much has changed, China has lifted hundreds of millions of its citizens out of poverty. The country has emerged as a great power with influence on the world stage. New patterns for the U.S.-China relationship have emerged while others have evolved. Leader-level interaction continues to set the tone for relations. Deepened independence has developed between both our countries, and connections have formed across a broad spectrum of our populations between students, scholars, scientists, farmers, and businesspeople. These connections have infused vitality and ballast into the relationship.
Today’s meeting between President Biden and President Xi provided a powerful example of their shared support for mutual respect and engagement. Both leaders recognize that engagement is not a form of surrender. It does not mean we have to admire each other. Engagement is how relationships are built and knowledge is shared. It is how people in both countries acquire the understanding about each other and how trust is developed at a personal level. Ultimately, governments and institutions do not give energy to the relationship, people do.
It’s not surprising that our two governments face major challenges in our relationship. After all, our two countries have different cultures, histories, visions, ambitions, and systems of government. No leader can be expected to solve these differences, but they should responsibly manage them. Acknowledging our need for peaceful coexistence is not an act of charity or a sign of weakness. It is a wise recognition of reality. The United States and China are, and will remain, the two most powerful countries in the world for the foreseeable future.
As the world’s two most capable countries, both benefit from collaborating to address global challenges, and both are harmed by ceaseless confrontation. Solutions to threats from war, disease, famine, global warming, artificial intelligence, and proliferation are much more within our reach when the United States and China are pulling in the same direction than when they are splitting apart. It was very good to see President Biden and President Xi move down that path today. It was their first contact since they met a year ago in Bali. The leaders of the world’s two strongest powers need to engage more frequently with each other. The immense global challenges of our time demand that our leaders show statesmanship and shared purpose.
Like many others in this room, I believe that a strong and prosperous China that supports and invests in the international system can be a force for good in the world. Ultimately, the trajectory of China’s rise will be determined far more by the choices China makes for itself than by any decisions others make about it. So, we are gathered today to gain insight from President Xi into his vision for the future of his country, and of the relationship between the United States and China. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in warmly welcoming President Xi Jinping.
President Xi Jinping: Ladies and gentlemen, friends, it gives me great pleasure to meet with you, friends from across the American society in San Francisco to renew our friendship and strengthen our bond. My first visit to the United States in 1985 started from San Francisco, and this formed my first impression of this country. Today, I still keep a photo of me in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. This morning, President Biden pulled out this photo and he showed it to me. I don’t know how he got it, but he showed it to me.
Well, before I go any further, I wish to express my sincere thanks to the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, the U.S.-China Business Council, the Asia Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and other friendly organizations for hosting this event. I also want to express my warm greetings to all American friends who have long committed to growing China-U.S. relations, and my best wishes to the friendly American people.
San Francisco has borne witness to exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples for over a century. A hundred and fifty-eight years ago, a large number of Chinese workers came all the way to the United States to build the first transcontinental railroad. They also established, in San Francisco, the oldest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere. From here, China and the United States have made many achievements, $760 billion of annual bilateral trade, and over $260 billion of two-way investment, 284 pairs of sister provinces, states, and sister cities, and over 300 scheduled flights every week, and over 5 million travels every year at peak time. These extraordinary accomplishments were made jointly by our peoples, accounting for nearly one quarter of the global population.
San Francisco has also borne witness to the efforts by China and the United States in building a better world. Seventy-eight years ago, after jointly defeating fascism and militarism, our two countries initiated, together with others, the San Francisco Conference, which helped found the United Nations. And China was the first country to sign the UN charter. Starting from San Francisco, the postwar international order was established. Over 100 countries have gained independence, one after another. Several billion people have eventually shaken off poverty. The forces for world peace, development, and progress have grown stronger. This has been the main fruit, jointly achieved by people of all countries and the international community.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, the foundation of China-U.S. relations was laid by our peoples. During World War II, our two countries fought side by side for peace and justice. Headed by General Claire Lee Chennault, a group of American volunteers known as the Flying Tigers went to the battlefield In China. They not only engaged in direct combats fighting Japanese aggressors, but also created The Hump airlift to transport much-needed supplies to China.
More than 1,000 Chinese and American airmen lost their lives on this air route. After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the United States sent 16 B-25 bombers on an air raid to Japan in 1942. Running low on fuel after completing their mission, Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and his fellow pilots parachuted in China. They were rescued by Chinese troops and local civilians, but some 250,000 civilian Chinese were killed by Japanese aggressors in retaliation.
The Chinese people never forget the Flying Tigers. We built a Flying Tigers Museum in Chongqing and invited over 1,000 flying tigers, veterans, and their families to come back to China. I have kept in touch with some of them through letters. Most recently, 103-year-old, Harry Moyer, and a 98-year-old, Mel McMullen, both Flying Tigers veterans went back to China. They visited the Great Wall and were warmly received by the Chinese people.
The American people, on their part, always remember the Chinese who risked their lives to save American pilots. Offsprings of those American pilots often visit the Doolittle Raid Memorial Hall in Quzhou of Zhejiang Province to pay tribute to the Chinese people for their heroic and valorous efforts. These stories fill me with firm confidence that the friendship between our two peoples, which has stood the test of blood and fire, will be passed on from generation to generation.
The door of China-U.S. relations was opened by our peoples. For 22 years, there were estrangement and antagonism between our two countries, but the trend of the times brought us together. Convergent interests enabled us to rise above differences and the people’s longing broke the ice between the two countries. In 1971, the U.S. table tennis team visited Beijing. A small ball moved the globe. And not long after that, Mr. Mike Mansfield led the first U.S. Congressional delegation to China. This was followed by the first governors’ delegation, including Iowa Governor, Robert Ray, and then many business delegations also came. There formed waves of friendly exchanges.
This year, after the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, I have respectively met, in Beijing, with Dr. Henry Kissinger, Mr. Bill Gates, Senator Chuck Schumer, and his Senate colleagues, and Governor Gavin Newsom. I told them that the hope of the China-U.S. relationship lies in the people. Its foundation is in our societies, its future depends on the youth, and its vitality comes from exchanges at subnational levels. I welcome more U.S. governors, congressional members, and people from all walks of life to visit China.
The stories of China-U.S. relations are written by our peoples. During my first visit to United States, I stayed at the Dvorchaks in Iowa. I still remember their address, 2911 Bonnie Drive. That was my first face-to-face contact with the Americans. The days I spent with them are unforgettable. For me, they represent America. I have found that although our two countries are different in history, culture, and social system, and have embarked on different development paths, our two peoples are both kind, friendly, hardworking, and down to earth.
We both love our countries, our families, and our lives, and we both are friendly toward each other and are interested in each other. It is the convergence of many streams of goodwill and friendship that has created a strong current surging across the vast Pacific Ocean. It is the reaching out to each other by our peoples that has time and again brought China-U.S. relations from a low ebb back onto the right track. I’m convinced that once open, the door of China-U.S. relations cannot be shut again. Once started, the cause of China-U.S. friendship cannot be derailed halfway. The tree of our people’s friendship has grown tall and strong, and it can surely withstand the assault of any wind or storm.
The future of China-U.S. relations will be created by our peoples. The more difficulties there are, the greater the need for us to forge a closer bond between our peoples and to open our hearts to each other. And more people need to speak up for this relationship. We should build more bridges and pave more roads for people-to-people interactions. We must not erect barriers or create a chilling effect.
Today, President Biden and I reached important consensus. Our two countries will roll out more measures to facilitate travels and promote people-to-people exchanges, including increasing direct passenger flights, holding a high-level dialogue on tourism, and streamlining visa application procedures. We hope that our two peoples will make more visits, contacts, and exchanges, and write new stories of friendship in the new era. I also hope that California and San Francisco will continue to take the lead on the journey of growing China-U.S. friendship.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, we are in an era of challenges and changes. It is also an era of hope. The world needs China and the United States to work together for a better future. We, the largest developing country, that is China, and the largest developed country, the United States, we must get along with each other. In a world of changes and chaos, it is ever more important for us to have the mind, assume the vision, shoulder the responsibility, and play the role that come along with our status as major countries.
I’ve always had one question on my mind, how to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations clear of hidden rocks and shores, navigate it through storms and waves without getting disoriented, losing speed, or even having a collision? In this respect, the number one question for us is, are we adversaries or partners? This is the fundamental and overarching issue. The logic is quite simple, if one sees the other side as a primary competitor, the most consequential geopolitical challenge, and a pacing threat, it’ll only lead to misinformed policymaking, misguided actions, and unwanted results.
China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States. The fundamental principles that we follow in handling China-U.S. relations are mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation.
Just as mutual respect is a basic code of behavior for individuals, it is fundamental for China-U.S. relations. The United States is unique in its history, culture, and geographical position, which have shaped its distinct development paths and social system. We fully respect all this. The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has been found under the guidance of the theory of scientific socialism and is rooted in the tradition of the Chinese civilization with an uninterrupted history of more than 5,000 years.
We are proud of our choice, just as you are proud of yours. Our paths are different, but both are the choice by our peoples, and both lead to the realization of the common values of humanity. They should be both respected.
Peaceful coexistence is a basic norm for international relations, and it’s even more of a baseline that China and the United States should hold on to as two major countries. It is wrong to view China, which is committed to peaceful development, as a threat and thus play a zero-sum game against it. China never bets against the United States and never interferes in its internal affairs.
China has no intention to challenge the United States or to unseat it. Instead, we will be glad to see a confident, open, ever-growing, and prosperous United States. Likewise, the United States should not bet against China or interfere in China’s internal affairs. It should instead welcome a peaceful, stable, and prosperous China.
Win-win cooperation is the trend of the times, and it is also an inherent property of China-U.S. relations. China is pursuing high-quality development, and the United States is revitalizing its economy. There is plenty of room for our cooperation, and we are fully able to help each other succeed and achieve win-win outcomes. The Belt and Road Initiative as well as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by China are open to all countries at all times, including the United States. China is also ready to participate in U.S.-proposed multilateral corporation initiatives.
This morning, President Biden and I agreed to promote dialogue and cooperation in the spirit of mutual respect in areas including diplomacy, economy and trade, people-to-people exchange, education, science and technology, agriculture, military, law enforcement, and artificial intelligence. We agreed to make the cooperation list longer and the pile of corporations bigger.
Just now, Secretary Raimondo mentioned the issue of fentanyl. I would like to let you know that China sympathizes deeply with the American people, especially the young for the sufferings that Fentanyl has inflicted upon them. President Biden and I have agreed to set up a working group on counter-narcotics to further our cooperation and help the United States tackle drug abuse. I also wish to announce here that to increase exchanges between our peoples, especially between the youth, China is ready to invite 50,000 young Americans to China on exchange and study programs in the next 5 years.
Recently, the three pandas at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington have returned to China. I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas and went to the zoo to see them off. I also learned that the San Diego Zoo and the Californians very much look forward to welcoming pandas back. Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples. We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen friendly ties between our peoples.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, China is the largest developing country in the world. The Chinese people long for better jobs, better lives, and better education for their children. This is what the 1.4 billion Chinese hold dear to their hearts. The Communist Party of China, CPC, is committed to working for the people, and our people’s expectation for a better life is our goal. This means we must work hard to secure their support. Thanks to a century of exploration and struggle, we have found the development path that suits us. We are now advancing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts by pursuing Chinese modernization.
We are committed to striving in unity to achieve modernization for all Chinese. A large population is a fundamental aspect of China’s reality, but now we have to give the crown of the biggest population in the world to India. China is now home to the second-largest population. So, for China, our achievements, however great, would be very small when divided by 1.4 billion, but a problem, however small, would be huge when multiplied by 1.4 billion. This is a unique challenge for a country of our size.
In the meantime, big also means strength. The leadership of the CPC, the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the endorsement and support of the people are our greatest strength. China boasts a super large economy and a super large market. Not long ago, the 6th China International Import Expo was held. It attracted over 3,400 business exhibitors from 128 countries, including the United States. The exhibition area of American companies have been the largest for six consecutive years. Modernization for 1.4 billion Chinese is a huge opportunity that China provides to the world.
We are committed to prosperity for all, to deliver a better life to each and every Chinese. To eliminate poverty is the millennia-old dream of the Chinese nation, and prosperity for all is the longing of all Chinese. Before I turned 16, I was in a village in Northern Shaanxi Province where I lived and farmed with the villagers. I spent seven years there and I knew about their worries and needs. Now, half a century on, I always feel confident and strong when staying with the people.
Serving the people selflessly and living up to their expectations is not a slogan, this is my lifelong commitment. When I became General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China, a hundred million people were still living below the poverty line set by the United Nations. Thanks to eight years of tenacious efforts, we lifted them all out of poverty. We realized the poverty reduction goal of the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development 10 years ahead of schedule. In this process, over 1800 CPC members lost their lives in the line of duty.
Our goal is not to have just a few wealthy people but to realize common prosperity for all. Employment, education, medical services, childcare, elderly care, housing, the environment, and the like. These are real issues, important to people’s daily life and close to their heart. They’re being steadily integrated into our top-level plans for national development, thus ever-increasing the sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security of our people. We will continue to promote high-quality development and deliver the benefits of modernization to all. This is the CPC’s founding mission and the pledge we have made to the people. It will surely be realized with the support of the people.
We are committed to well-rounded development to achieve both material and cultural ethical advancement for the people. Our forefathers observed that when people are well-fed and well-clad, they will have a keen sense of honor and shame. Material shortage is not socialism, nor is cultural-ethical impoverishment. Chinese modernization is people-centered.
An important goal of Chinese modernization is to continue increasing the country’s economic strength and improving the people’s living standards, and at the same time enriching the people’s cultural lives, enhancing civility throughout society, and promoting well-rounded development of the person. The purpose of the Global Civilization Initiative I proposed is to urge the international community to address the imbalance between material and cultural advancement, and jointly promote continued progress of human civilization.
We are committed to sustainable development to achieve harmony between men and nature. The belief that humans are an integral part of nature and need to follow nature’s course is a distinctive feature of traditional Chinese culture. We live in the same global village, and we possibly wouldn’t find another inhabitable planet in our lifetime. As an English saying goes, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
When I was governor of Fujian Province in 2002, I called for turning Fujian into the first ecological province in China. Later, when I worked in Zhejiang Province in 2005, I said that clear waters and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver. Today, this view has become a consensus of all the Chinese people. China now has half of the world’s installed photovoltaic capacity.
Over half of the world’s new energy vehicles now run on roads in China, and China contributes one-fourth of increased area of afforestation in the world. We will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. We have made the pledge, we never exaggerate, but we will honor everything we say.
We are committed to peaceful development to build a community with a shared future for mankind. Peace, amity, and harmony are values embedded in Chinese civilization. Aggression and expansion are not in our genes. The Chinese people have bitter and deep memories of the turmoils and sufferings inflicted upon them in modern times. I often say that what the Chinese people oppose is war, what they want is stability, and what they hope for is enduring world peace. The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation cannot be achieved without a peaceful and stable international environment. In pursuing modernization, we will never revert to the beaten path of war, colonization, plundering, or coercion.
Throughout the 70 years and more since the founding of the People’s Republic, China has not provoked a conflict or war or occupied a single inch of foreign land. China is the only major country that has written peaceful development into the constitution of the country and the constitution of the governing party thus making peaceful development a commitment of the nation.
It benefits from and safeguards the current international order. We remain firm in safeguarding the international system, with the UN at its core, the international order underpinned by international law, and the basic norms governing international relations based on the purpose and principles of the UN Charter.
Whatever stage of development it may reach, China will never pursue hegemony or expansion, and will never impose its will on others. China does not seek spheres of influence and will not fight a cold war or a hot war with anyone. China will remain committed to dialogue and oppose confrontation and build partnerships instead of alliances. It will continue to pursue a mutually beneficial strategy of opening up. The modernization we are pursuing is not for China alone. We are ready to work with all countries to advance global modernization, featuring peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and common prosperity, and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.
Ladies and gentlemen, friends, the passage of time is like a surging river. Much is washed away, but the most valuable stays. No matter how the global landscape evolves, the historical trend of peaceful coexistence between China and United States will not change. The ultimate wish of our two peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change. The expectations for the whole world for steadily growing China-U.S. relationship will not change.
For any great cause to succeed it must take root in the people, it must gain strength from the people, and be accomplished by the people. Growing China-U.S. friendship is such a great cause. Let us galvanize the Chinese and American peoples into a strong force to renew China-U.S. friendship, advance China-U.S. relations, and make even greater contributions to world peace and development. Thank you.
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Background Press Call by Senior Administration Officials Previewing the President’s Upcoming Bilateral Engagement
NOVEMBER 09, 2023 , 6:22 P.M. EST
MODERATOR: Hi, everybody. Thanks for joining us this evening. Happy to be hosting this one on a Thursday night, not a Friday night, for the first time in a while. Just a quick reminder of our ground rules here. This call is embargoed until 8:00 a.m. Eastern time tomorrow, November 10th.
The whole call is attributable to a sen- — or to “senior administration officials,” plural. For awareness but not for reporting, NSC — we have on the call with us tonight [senior administration official] and [senior administration official]. And I won’t waste any time. I’ll hand it over to [senior administration official].
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: [Moderator], thank you very much. And thanks, all, for joining the call. And I apologize for some of the movement around of the timing of this. That is not [moderator] or our excellent press team. That is squarely on me, and I’m grateful that all of you were able to join.
So, look, I’m just going to do a little bit of backgrounding, and then [senior administration official] will go through some of the particulars and specifics that you should be looking for next week.
So, we’re grateful that you’ve all joined. Just want to underscore that President Biden will, indeed, meet with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China in the San Francisco Bay area of California on November 15th. I think some of you remember, but their last meeting was a year ago in person in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of the G20.
During their session next week, we anticipate the leader –leaders will discuss issues in the U.S.-PRC bilateral relationship, the continued importance of strengthening open lines of communication and managing competition responsibly, and a range of regional, global, and transnational issues.
Now, I’m going to just take a moment just for all of you because I think it’s important to set the context and our overall strategic approach because that is essential for understanding and interpreting what happens next week. I’ll get into more details on the meeting shortly, but first I’d like to take a step back and discuss how we got here.
At the start of this administration, the PRC was convinced that the United States was in terminal decline. Around the world, there were doubts about our staying power, our economic vitality, our commitment to our allies, and the health of our democracy. Much of that has changed under President Biden’s leadership.
Over the last nearly three years, the administration has surveyed the strategic landscapes, (inaudible), and took a series of purposeful, strategic steps both at home and abroad in a diplomatic context that we think is sustaining.
From the beginning, our approach has been consistent. We are in competition with China, but we do not seek conflict, confrontation, or a new Cold War. We are mana- — we are for managing the competition responsibly.
We’re going into the meeting confident in our overall approach and our position. First, we are going into this meeting with game-changing investments in American strength at home through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The United States has had the strongest recovery and lowest (inaudible) inflation of any leading economy. We’ve created 14 million jobs — more in two years than any president in a four-year term. We’ve had 21 straight months of unemployment under 4 percent for the first time in half a century, and the U.S. economy grew by 4.9 percent in the third quarter.
Large-scale investments in semiconductors and clean energy production are up 20-fold since 2019. We’re estimating 3.5 trillion in public and private investment over the next six decades. Construction spending on manufacturing has doubled.
Second, we’re going into this meeting having deepened our alliances and partnerships abroad in ways that would’ve been unimaginable just a few years ago. In the year since Bali, President Biden hosted leaders from Japan, the ROK, the Philippines, India, and Australia for bilateral meetings.
He formally launched AUKUS. He held a historic trilateral summit with the ROK and Japan at Camp David. He traveled to Japan for the G — G7 and the Quad Summit and later traveled to Vietnam to upgrade the relationship between our two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He hosted the leaders of the Pacific Island countries here in Washington for a second summit.
Even as we work hard every day on the conflict in Israel and Gaza and the war in Ukraine, this week alone, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Ambassador to the U.N., and the Special Presiden- — Presidential Envoy for Climate are all in the Indo-Pacific. And on Monday, President Biden will meet with President Jokowi of Indonesia for an official visit before heading out to San Francisco.
And that really brings me back to diplomacy with the PRC after that as a background. After investing at home and strengthening ties with allies and partners abroad, now is precisely the time for high-level diplomacy. Our approach is steady and consistent. We’re not stepping back from our interests and values; we’re moving forward on them.
In the last year, we’ve put in new rules on outbound and investment and updated our export controls on semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. We’ve taken actions against PRC entities involved in human rights abuses, forced labor, non-proliferation, and supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine. And we’ve continued to uphold freedom of navigation in the region by flying, sailing, and operating wherever international law allows.
But we also believe that intense competition requires and demands intense diplomacy to manage tensions and to prevent competition from verging into conflict or confrontation. We’re clear-eyed about this. We know efforts to shape or reform China over several decades have failed, but we expect China to be around and to be a major player on the world stage for the rest of our lifetimes.
And we think diplomacy is how we clear up misperceptions, (inaudible), communicate, avoid surprises, and explain our competitive steps. It is also how we work together and where and when our interests align — where our interests align and deliver on key priorities for the American people. And it’s how we set up crisis communication mechanisms to reduce conflict, risk, or work together on climate, health, or macroeconomic stability.
This is not a change in our approach. The United States has decades of experience talking to and even working with competitors when our interests call for it. And this meeting with President Xi is in keeping with that tradition in American statecraft.
And at this meeting, I think you can expect us to draw on that experience as we both stabilize the relationship and deliver in material, tangible ways for the American people.
I’ll turn it over now to [senior administration official] to go into a little bit more detail on the specifics of our diplomacy next week in San Francisco.
[Senior administration official]?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks so much, [senior administration official].
As you all know, this is President Biden’s first interaction with President Xi in a year. A lot has happened in that intervening period, as [senior administration official] noted.
Just to give a bit of context, this will be their seventh interaction since the start of the Biden administration but just the second in-person meeting. Of course, both leaders have a longstanding relationship that began when they were both vice presidents. They’ve known each other for roughly a dozen years.
In the last eight months, we have worked to restore diplomatic interaction. The National Security Advisor met with Director Wang Yi three times. The Secretaries of State, Treasury, and Commerce went to Beijing. China, for its part, sent its vice president, its foreign minister, its vice premier, and other senior officials here to the United States in recent months for meetings.
In addition, we have launched a number of working-level consultations with the PRC in discrete, carefully chosen areas where deeper discussion can benefit U.S. and global interests, such as arms control, maritime issues, and macroeconomic and debt issues.
We expect the leaders will discuss strategic direction of the bilateral relationship, the importance of maintaining open lines of communication, including (inaudible). We expect they’ll cover a range of regional and global issues too, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas conflict. And they’ll consider how we can work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community, such as climate and counter-narcotics.
As is always the case, the two leaders will discuss issues where we have differences, such as human rights, cross-trade issues, South China Sea, and a fair and level playing field for U.S. companies and workers.
I’ll leave it there for now and welcome any questions you all have.
MODERATOR: Great. And with that, we’ll open it up to questions.
Great. And our first question will go to Tamara Keith with NPR.
Q Thank you so much. This is just a really small technical question, but you said that the meeting will take place in the San Francisco Bay area. Does that mean it may not be in actual San Francisco but some other city? I just want to make sure our stories have the right location.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that. We’re using “the Bay Area” because for operational security reasons, we’re not going to get into specifics of the location.
Q So, we should not say “San Francisco” in our stories?
MODERATOR: I think — it’s [moderator], “Bay Area” is safe to use.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, “San Francisco Bay Area” is the right approach. That’s why we put it in there. And thanks for the question.
Q Thank you.
MODERATOR: Next, we’ll go to Andrew Feinberg with The Independent.
Andrew. Your line should be unmuted.
Q Hi, thank you for doing this. Next year is an election year. Will the President be offering any warning or caution or admonition to President Xi about interfering in the election? We know China has tried influence operations in the past. I believe there was some during the last election. Will the United States be offering any sort of admonishment not to do it again?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks for the question, Andrew. Without getting into specifics of the meeting, I think it’s fair to say we’re going to cover a whole range of topics that are potentially contentious. Certainly, one area we have covered in the past in various high-level meetings is our concerns about potential election-influence operations. I would anticipate that this elect- — this issue could come up again.
MODERATOR: All right. Next, we’ll go to Trevor Hunnicutt with Reuters.
Q Hey, thanks for taking the question. Just wanted to see if a couple of con- — topics are coming up in this conversation: one, fentanyl; two, artificial intelligence; and three, U.S. detainees in China. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, I think, the way [senior administration official] indicated, we — we expect a range of issues to be discussed between the two leaders. We’ve indicated to Chinese interlocutors that, basically, every element in our bilateral issue, our bilateral relationship will be on the table for discussion. I think it’s possible that all three issues will indeed be raised, yes.
MODERATOR: Next, we’ll go to Aamer Madhani with the AP.
Q Thank you. What goals or objectives need to be reached during these talks for what President Biden would consider a successful meeting?
And then, secondly, will the President have any specific message to President Xi about action that he’d like to see the Chinese take to help or at least not worsen the crisis in the Middle East? Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think [senior administration official] will take the first part. I’ll take the second part.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks so much for that question. Look, I think there are a whole range of issues we expect to come up on the bilateral relationship. These are tough conversations, not just on bilat issues, of course, as we mentioned on global, on transnational issues. There’s a lot going on in the world and the U.S. and China, I think, as — as two countries with interest around the globe have a — have a responsibility to be — to talk about these issues, whether Middle East, whether Russia, Ukraine.
In terms of specific goals, as [senior administration official] had mentioned, this is not the relationship of 5 or 10 years ago. We’re not talking about a long list of outcomes or deliverables. The goals here really are about managing the competition, preventing the downside risk of conflict and ensuring channels of communication are open.
So, you know, I think — I think we are going into the meetings with realistic expectations about what we’re going to achieve but understanding that this is the responsible thing to do, it’s what our partners and allies need to see — this competition being managed responsibly.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: And I would just say — and thank you for the questions. I think, you know, we’re looking to stabilize the relationship in ways that support our partners and our alliances and also support the American people.
So, I think the President will seek — will be seeking that around and along a whole range of issues more directly.
And then your second question, can you just repeat it? I’m — I apologize, I just forgot it.
Q No problem. Will the President have any specific message for President Xi regarding any action —
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah —
Q — that he’d like to see the Chinese take on the crisis in the Middle East?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, I do want to say I expect the President to raise a number of issues of concern with President Xi in a regional context. There will be a conversation on North Korea about some of our concerns, with respect to the relationship with Russia in Ukraine.
I think with respect to the Middle East, I believe that the President will underscore our desire for China to make clear in its burgeoning relationship in — with Iran that it is essential that Iran not seek to escalate or spread violence in the Middle East, and to warn quite clearly that if Iran undertakes provocative actions anywhere that the United States is prepared to respond and respond promptly.
MODERATOR: Next, we’ll go to Kevin Liptak with CNN.
Q Yes, thank you. I know you just said that you feel like the outcomes will be limited somewhat. Do you expect any kind of joint leaders’ statement to come out of the meeting? And then, I wonder how much time have you blocked off for the two men to speak to each other? Will they — will they — there be a one-on-one component? What are sort of the — what’s the — kind of the choreography of the meeting next week?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So, can I just say just very quickly, I understand the question about — about whether the outcomes are limited. I think some of the outcomes are substantial; they’re just different from in the past. And that’s, I think, what needs to be carefully focused on.
Much of what we’re seeking to do is to create a framework for successful management of a difficult and complicated and complex relationship. And I think you will see evidence of that next week.
[Senior administration official], do you want to touch base on —
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Sure. On what the meeting will look like? We’re expecting something along the lines of what you saw in — saw in Bali. We divided it up into a couple different sessions in Bali. We’d expect about the same this time around.
We’re anticipating a session focused on bilateral issues; anticipate, as we mentioned before, we’ll discuss as well global issues and transnational issues.
So, look, I think this is more than just a bilat on the margins of a multilateral meeting. We’re setting some time aside for the two leaders to sit down and have in-depth conversations on the full range of issues that the U.S. and China face across the globe and bilaterally.
MODERATOR: All right, next we’ll go to Andrea Mitchell with NBC.
Q Thank you very much for doing this. Do you expect that military-to-military communications — that in maintaining a — or working on a relationship, that it would be unusual if you did not at the minimum restore what is considered a minimum, which is — between two superpowers — military-to-military communications? Would that be disappointing to the President?
And do you feel that one of the conversations will be related to the balloon to clean up whatever residual issues remain from that of misunderstandings and of understandings going forward as to their balloon program and their intelligence gathering?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Andrea, it’s [senior administration official]. It’s nice to hear your voice, and thank you for calling in tonight.
I’ll just start this. I will say that the President has been determined to take the necessary steps to restore what we believe are (inaudible) communications between the United States and China on the military side.
And, we’ll likely have more to say about that next week.
Let me ask [senior administration official] to jump in.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We’ve raised the importance of mil-mil channels in nearly every conversation we’ve had with the Chinese. This is absolutely critical. And when we’re talking about managing risks, about avoiding conflict, this is exactly the sort of communication we need to be having, both at senior levels of our two militaries but also operator to operator.
So, I anticipate we will plan to have a discussion about this next week as well.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I will say, Andrea, just further on this, you know, although it is true that the President and Secretary Blinken, National Security Advisor Sullivan, and particularly Secretary Austin have raised these issues in every encounter, I think it is fair to say that the Chinese have been reluctant. And so, the President is going to press assertively next week. And then we hope to have more to report on Wednesday.
(Cross-talk.)
MODERATOR: Sorry, Andrea. Did you have a follow-up?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, it’s the balloon question.
Look, I will say this on the —
Q Yeah, the second part of my question was on the balloon — their balloon program and on their —
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah.
Q — intelligence gathering to clear up misunderstanding.
Sorry, [senior administration official].
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look — no, no, I understand, Andrea.
So, I will say this, I — the balloon comes up often in the context of the need for communications between our two sides. And I think the balloon episode underscored the difficulty we had at the time to be able to establish high-level consequential communications with Beijing. And we’ve made that case persistently and consistently.
And as I said, I think you can expect the President to raise the broad parameters of mil-to-mil engagement with President Xi next week.
Q Thank you.
MODERATOR: All right. Next, we’ll go to Sang-ho Song with Yonhap News.
Q Thank you very much for doing — for doing this. [Senior administration official], you touched upon North Korea as part of the agenda in the original context. But specifically, I’m wondering if President Biden and President Xi will discuss growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia and overall North Korean nuclear and missile threats, and as well as the issues of China’s forced repatriations of North Korean refugees. Thank you.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, I — as I indicated, I think an effective dialogue between the two leaders must touch on regional hotspots, particularly where U.S. and Chinese interests engage.
We’ve watched with some concern of the burgeoning relationship of late between North Korea and Russia, the provision of military equipment directly there, continuing provocations of North Korea.
I think we intend to underscore our continuing concerns around those provocations to China, who continues to be a substantial patron of North Korea.
We will also reiterate our readiness to conduct diplomacy with North Korea and our determination to take steps to deter provocations and to seek the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Q Is it fair to believe that all the issues would be part of the official agenda? Are you talking about that?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I don’t quite understand the question, but I think we’ve tried to indicate, through all of these questions, that these will be very (inaudible) discussions. Nothing will be held back. Everything is on the table. And I believe that that’s how we intend to conduct these discussions.
Q And —
MODERATOR: Okay, we’re going to take our next question. We’ll go — Dimitri (inaudible).
Q Thanks very much. two questions. [senior administration official], [senior administration official], people often say that to prevent a Taiwan conflict, you need the right mix of deterrence and reassurance. You’ve done a lot on deterrence. What can President Biden do in private reassurance that he hasn’t done in public?
And secondly, is President Biden going to warn Xi Jinping in person that China should not take any military action against Filipino forces on the Second Thomas Shoal?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Great. Thanks so much for that. Look — and I think in every conversation we’ve had, cross-strait issues absolutely comes up. If we look towards next year, they have both the Taiwan election, the presidential transition, and, of course, our own election makes this — could make this quite a bumpy year.
I think our goal into the meetings will be to reaffirm, of course, the U.S. One China Policy; our int- — our — you know, our focus on maintaining the status quo; our focus on ensuring their peace and stability; making clear to the Chinese that any actions or interference in the election would raise extremely strong concerns from our side.
And I think when you talk about reassurance — and I think part of this is trying to, you know, again, ensure that we’re clear we are not supportive of Taiwan independence. That is our longstanding policy. And going into this election, I think that will be one issue, of course, that we will try to reaffirm.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, I would just say — just to build on that, Dimitri. I think — I think what we will — we will seek to do is just amplify our existing messages and to present them with clarity. And we believe that those messages are indeed stabilizing and they are consistent with long-held and longstanding American policy to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
And then your second question. I can’t believe what is happening to (inaudible) — forgot your second question.
Q It happens to me too.
Is President Biden directly going to tell Xi Jinping —
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Okay.
Q — not to take military action on the Second Thomas Shoal?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah. Look, I — you were there as the President — last month when the President was asked about the South China Sea and the Philippines — that he made very clear our commitments to the Philippines and to the security treaty as applied to the South China Sea.
I think you can expect the President to underscore our continuing commitment to the Philippines, our determination to maintain peace and stability and stand by the Philippines in the face of continued provocations.
MODERATOR: All right, next we’ll go to Ellen Nakashima with the Post.
Q Yeah, bringing up the rear. I think all the questions have been asked. I just wanted to —
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Right in the (inaudible).
Q Oh, hello? Can you hear me? Hello.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: We hear you, Ellen. I said you’re right in the heart of the pack. You’re not bringing up the rear. Go ahead.
Q Do you think both sides come to this meeting with a common desire to stabilize the relationship? And do you have common understandings of what that stability means and what exactly would that translate into in practical terms — anything beyond reestablishing the mil-to-mil communication channel?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Look, Ellen, I think we’ll have more to say about that next week, but I think our goal will be to try to take steps that indeed stabilize the relationship between the United States and China, remove some areas of misunderstanding, and open up new lines of communication. That’s going to be our goal and objective.
I think the larger question is really not so much the basis of — of that stabilization but the duration of it. And the question, really, on the table: Is China seeking these set steps for tactical or short-term measures, or are they seeking to truly improve relations with the United States and other allies and partners? And we’re going to interrogate those assumptions closely and clearly.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Maybe just one thing to add, if I can, Ellen. I think as we talk about stabil- — stabilization, it’s important to emphasize: Our China policy has not changed. We’re talking about stabilization. We’re talking about channels of communication, lowering the temps, an approach of no surprises. But we are still committed to the “invest, align, compete” mantra and intend to continue taking actions to protect national security, continuing to focus on building up partnerships and alliances, and, of course, investing at home.
So, I want to make sure that comes clear through, too, because I think sometimes as we talk about stabilization and the channels of communication piece, that — that broader overlay of China policies sometimes get left — gets left behind and, in fact, those two are absolutely linked
Q Thank you.
MODERATOR: Next, we’ll go to — sorry, we’re going to take our next question, Ellen.
We’re going to go to Ari Hawkins with Politico. Ari, your line is unmuted. Please go ahead.
Q Hello. Thank you so much for doing all this. I really appreciate it. Quick, sort of a more specific question here. It sounds like a lot of this is kind of high-level. Will there be any chance for looking at Section 301 tariffs, that ongoing process? And the administration has talked about wrapping that up in the fall, so it’s sort of like now I’m curious if that’s going to come up.
And if I could just sneak one more in there, has the — China’s leader confirmed his attendance? Because — at least I haven’t seen anything from the Chinese foreign ministry or any of that. So, I’m curious how that’s playing into any of this.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks so much.
On that latter half of the question, I think, you know, one of the reasons this call is embargoed until, I think, 8:00 a.m. tomorrow is we’re anticipating, of course, that magic hour will be when you see announcements on the meeting and one would anticipate, perhaps, Chinese president’s attendance at APEC as well.
On your question regarding 301, look, I think in general on the leader-level engagements, we try to pull those up and keep them a bit broader strategic issues.
I certainly expect the — the question of economic and trade relationship to be on the agenda. The President at every meeting and engagement with President Xi has brought up the importance of a level playing field for American companies. And, of course, that’s an integral part of the 301.
But I don’t anticipate that we’ll get into the details of that. We’ll keep it a broader strategic view.
MODERATOR: We’re going to take just one more question. We’ll go to Nick Schifrin with PBS.
Q Hey, guys. Thanks very much.
[Senior administration official], you mentioned something in passing about Taiwan’s elections. Can you just make a point of that? Will the President go out of his way to deliver a warning to Xi Jinping about how Beijing should respond to the Taiwanese election given how they’re talking about William Lai?
And — and number two, Chinese diplomats are telling me that they have been, you know, pushing you guys in terms of the style of what Xi Jinping will see around him, the style of the meeting, but also the substance.
So, can you talk about, from your perspective, what you have to offer — if that’s the right verb — the Chinese side to reassure them that this meeting will go smoothly, that the APEC visit will go smoothly — whether, again, stylistically what she will see out of the window of his limo, for example, but also substantively, is there anything you’ve had to offer him ahead of time in order to get him to agree to this visit?
Thanks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks so much. I don’t know — for those of you who have worked on one of these visits before, have been present, the — the run-up, the protocol, the press, the — the — all the logistical arrangements are pretty intense, as you would imagine. I don’t think there’s anything particularly new or different in this one.
This is President Xi’s first trip to the United States, I think — is it in six years? So, I think, just — just — it’s been a while. And certainly, a visit to San Francisco, I think, will be the first since he was a young, Communist Party secretary in the provinces. So, just the location and the venue offers some new pieces that you wouldn’t see in a Capitol-level visit.
But I think most of — most of the discussions have tracked pretty closely with — with what I have seen in other leader level engagement.
And I’m sorry, I forgot your first — oh, Taiwan.
On Taiwan, look, I think the — it’s important that we’re having this leader-level engagement now. It’s November, right? We’re in the middle of the campaign season in Taiwan. The election is early next year, the transition after that.
The next period is going to be complex. And so, giving the two leaders a chance to sit down and talk about that, clarify, as [senior administration official] said, our policy, which, of course, we do repeatedly, but having that time behind closed doors really to focus in on clarifying misperceptions and focusing in on understanding where they are as well, I think, are critical parts of the conversation.
We’ve been clear publicly and privately that interference in the Taiwan election is something we’re extremely concerned about. And of course, we’ll plan on delivering that message again.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I would just say one other thing, just to build on [senior administration official]’s good points. Not only will we make the case that activities that interfere with Taiwan’s electoral process — which, frankly, as you look at its growth over decades, is quite impressive — that not only do we stand very firmly against that, we’re also quite concerned by a ramping up of military activities around Taiwan in ways that are unprecedented, that are dangerous, that are provocative.
And we also believe that those actions undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and raise concerns not just there but in the Indo-Pacific at large. And the President has made those points consistently, and he will do so again next week in San Francisco.
MODERATOR: Right. That concludes our call this evening. Thank you all for joining.
Just as a reminder, the contents of the call are held under embargo until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, November 10th, Eastern time. Thank you all.
6:58 P.M. EST
