Joe Biden Talks Of “Trust But Verify” U.S.-China Relationship After Xi Jinping Meeting, Says He’s “Mildly Hopeful” Of Hamas Release Of Hostages
deadline.comPresident Joe Biden gave a rare formal press conference following his meeting today with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but most of the questions had to do with the Israel/Hamas war.
In an opening statement, Biden said that the U.S. and China were “reassuming military-to-military direct contacts,” which have been cutoff. “We are back to open, clear, direct communications,” Biden said, adding that “a vital miscalculation on either side can cause real trouble with a country like China or any other major country.” Biden was asked whether he trusted Xi, and he told reporters, “Trust but verify as the old saying goes.
That’s where I am. We’re in a competitive relationship — China and the United States. But my responsibility is to make this rational and manageable, so it doesn’t result in conflict.” The press conference, held in Woodside, CA, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, was carried on major cable news networks but not broadcast networks, which were already in the midst of primetime on the East Coast.
Biden called on reporters from a pre-arranged list, and the correspondents veered into the dominant international story of the moment — the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
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