The president of the United States, Joe Biden, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, addressed this Saturday the state of their bilateral relations and the shared risks they face, especially in terms of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and they agreed by pointing out the need not to cede control of nuclear weapons to technologies of this nature.
“On the basis of a frank and constructive dialogue on AI (…), the two leaders affirmed the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons,” also highlighting “the need to carefully consider potential risks and develop AI technology in the military field in a prudent and responsible manner,” reads a statement released by the White House.
During the meeting, they also put on the table the “efforts” made jointly in the last four years in “areas of cooperation” such as the fight against drug trafficking, military communication, climate change or exchanges between peoples.
Nevertheless, “They have also exchanged (their) points of view“discordant in relation to issues such as the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia, described by Biden as “a dangerous expansion of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine with serious consequences for peace and security in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.”
Regarding Taiwan, the US president has reiterated his Government’s opposition “to any unilateral change to the status quo by any of the parties”, advocating a peaceful resolution of “differences” in the Taiwan Strait.
Regarding Beijing’s “unfair trade policies,” Washington has warned that it “will continue to take necessary measures to prevent advanced American technologies from being used to undermine the national security of the United States or its partners,” but “without unduly limiting the trade and investment.
Xi willing to work with Trump
For his part, the Chinese leader has shown himself to be “happy” to meet again with his North American counterpart, at the same time that he has made clear his willingness to collaborate with the next Administration, headed by President-elect Donald Trump. “When the two countries treat each other as partners and friends, leaving aside differences (…), their relationship progresses considerably“he stressed in statements collected by Xinhua.
Aware that “a stable relationship between China and the US (…) is crucial for the future and destiny of all humanity”, China has presented itself “willing to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences” with Trump, in order to “achieve a stable transition in the relationship between (countries) that benefits both peoples.”
“Only solidarity and cooperation can help humanity overcome current difficulties,” Xi added, defending that “neither decoupling nor the interruption of the supply chain is a solution” and that bilateral talks will avoid “errors of calculation” and will ensure “that the competition between (the) two countries does not deviate into conflict.”
However, Xi has also not left aside the “numerous tensions after four tumultuous years in which both nations have taken measures to become more self-sufficient and prepare for a possible conflict, although this is neither inevitable nor planned.”
