Ahead of Xi-Biden meet, China asks US to oppose any 'Taiwan independence' moves

Ahead of the virtual summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden next week, Beijing on Saturday asked Washington to stop supporting Taiwan's independence, stating that the two countries should meet halfway to repair the bilateral ties.

Xi is set to hold a virtual meeting with Biden on Tuesday morning, during which the leaders will exchange opinions on China-US relations and issues of common concern. Xi and Biden have so far had two lengthy phone conversations this year as part of an effort to ensure stability amid their consequential and fraught relationships.

Ahead of the much-anticipated meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and the US should meet each other halfway to ensure a successful virtual summit and restore bilateral ties.

Wang made the remarks in a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday, as per the Xinhua news agency reports.

Speaking of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its mainland, Wang said that the history and the reality have proven that "Taiwan independence" is the biggest threat to the peace and stability of the region. Any support to "Taiwan independence" will damage regional peace and eventually cause damage to itself, he said.

Wang urged the US to state its opposition to any "Taiwan independence" moves clearly, and firmly uphold the commitments made in the three China-US joint communique. He also called on the US to stick to its one-China policy with concrete actions instead of sending wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

Blinken had earlier stated that both sides are fully prepared for the summit as it will garner great attention around the world.

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that President Biden will discuss with President Xi ways to responsibly manage the competition between US and China, as well as ways to work together where our interests align.

Turbulent relations between China and US

Tensions between the two countries deepened since the two leaders had a phone call in September, following the surprise announcement of the AUKUS military alliance between the US, Britain, and Australia, to counter China's growing military presence in the Asia-Pacific, as well as the US firming up the Quad alliance with Australia, India, and Japan. America has also been expanding ties with Taiwanese government officials.

Ahead of the summit, the two countries, which are the top two global emitters of greenhouse gases, together accounting for about 40% of the world's annual carbon output, reached a surprise agreement to cooperate on limiting emissions to address the global climate crisis.

It was seen as a major diplomatic breakthrough between the two countries as their current state of relations is going through turbulent times with Biden mostly carrying forward his predecessor Donald Trump's tough policy towards Beijing.