US President Joe Biden poses in front of the Chinese and American flags.
Yuri Gripas | Reuters
US President Joe Biden told Asian leaders on Sunday that US lines of communication with China would be open to prevent conflict, as the first of three summits This week’s summit of world leaders is coming to an end.
Speaking at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia, Biden said the United States would compete with China and speak out about its human rights record, but stressed the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring freedom of navigation in the East Sea.
The White House said Biden also condemned Russia’s “brutal and unjustified” invasion of Ukraine and threats from North Korea’s missile tests, and called on military rulers to Myanmar follows a peace plan it has agreed with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Regarding China, Biden said at the summit that “the United States will compete vigorously…. while keeping lines of communication open and ensuring competition does not lead to conflict,” the White House said. know in a statement.
Southeast Asia will also host the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Indonesia’s Bali this week, before which Biden will meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for the first time since taking office, when the official relations between the two superpowers are at their worst in decades. .
The war in Ukraine is expected to be a prominent topic in discussions in Bali and at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Bangkok over the weekend, as well as commitments on global climate, food security and tensions across the Taiwan Strait. South China Sea and North Korean missile launches.
Eighteen countries making up half of the global economy attended Sunday’s East Asia Summit, including ASEAN nations, Japan, South Korea, China, India, the United States, Russia, and Australia. and New Zealand.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is representing President Vladimir Putin at summits and on Sunday accused the West of militarizing Southeast Asia in order to contain China and Russia’s interests in a battlefield. important geostrategic.
“The US and its NATO allies are trying to master this space,” Lavrov told a news conference in Phnom Penh.
He said Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which the US President is pushing hard at the meeting, is an attempt to bypass the “overarching architecture” for regional cooperation.
At a separate press conference, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his brief discussions the previous day with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang were constructive and positive, amid anticipation of a summit. official summit with Mr. Xi.
Like its US ally, Australia’s relationship with China has also deteriorated in recent years.
“I have said many times about the relationship with China that we should cooperate where we can,” Albanese said. “And that dialogue is always a good thing.”
