For the first time in almost seven months, the President of China, Xi Jinping, and the President of the United States, Joe Biden, have spoken on the phone, amid continuing frustrations over attempts to find common ground. During the meeting, which Biden initiated, the White House said that one of the topics was "the responsibility of both countries to ensure that competition does not develop into a conflict".
During the conversation, Biden's message was that the United States wants "to ensure competition does not veer into conflict", said a statement published on the White House website.
"The two leaders had a broad, strategic discussion in which they discussed areas where our interests converge, and areas where our interests, values, and perspectives diverge".
Chinese state media reported that Xi told Biden that US policies have put China in "serious trouble", possibly referring to the trade war between the two countries.
Relations between Washington and Beijing have cooled considerably recently, and Biden, who took office in January, has only spoken to Xi on the phone once before.
