Biden, Xi Meet Amid Mounting Tensions In Taiwan, North Korea, Ukraine

After nearly three hours of talks on Monday, President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping tentatively agreed to improve U.S.-China relations moving forward, despite not coming to a resolution on many of the issues that hinder that goal.

The two leaders met in Indonesia, a day before the G20 summit is set to begin. The meeting marks the first time they have met in person since Biden took office.

"I'm convinced that he understood exactly what I was saying, and I understood what he was saying," Biden told reporters following the meeting. "I've met many times with Xi Jinping, and we were candid and clear with one another across the board."

Tensions between the U.S. and China have ratcheted up over the last several years, as China's intentions with neighboring Taiwan have grown more expansive, North Korea continues to test ballistic weapons and the war in Ukraine rages on.

On Taiwan, Biden reportedly stuck to his message that the U.S.'s "one China policy" had not changed.

"The United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He raised U.S. objections to the PRC's coercive and increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan, which undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region, and jeopardize global prosperity," the White House readout of the meeting said.

Biden has on multiple occasions committed the U.S. to defend Taiwan's independence in the case of a Chinese invasion. These commitments have regularly been followed by statements from the administration stressing that the U.S. posture of "strategic ambiguity" toward Taiwan had not changed.

The tone of the meeting was reportedly cordial, as both leaders seemed to agree that the relationship between the two superpowers could be, and should be, fixed.

"The world expects that China and the United States will properly handle their relationship. Our meeting today has attracted the world's attention. We should work with all countries to bring more hope to world peace, greater confidence in global stability, and stronger impetus to common development," said Jinping, according to a readout released by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "I also look forward to working with you to bring China-U.S. relations back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of our two countries and the world as a whole."

Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine was also discussed at the meeting, with both leaders expressing concerns about the use of nuclear weapons in the conflict. The U.S. readout showed that neither leader believes a nuclear war should ever be fought, and "underscored their opposition to the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine."

In February, China and Russia announced a friendship "without limits," days before Russia began its invasion. China has remained sympathetic to Russia's war effort, becoming one of the largest buyers of Russian energy, but has yet to supply the faltering Russia with weapons or supplies during the entrenched war.

Biden also brought up North Korea during the meeting, stressing the importance of China in reigning in the dangerous actions taken by the pariah state. North Korea has increased its ballistic missile testing, including practicing strikes on U.S. and South Korean bases.

The two leaders agreed on a future visit to China by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to follow up Monday's meeting, and Biden acknowledged that despite the presence of competition between the two superpowers, the "United States and China must manage the competition responsibly and maintain open lines of communication."