US President Joe Biden has not been able to call his Chinese colleague Xi Jinping since he took office in the White House.
According to the recently sworn president, there is simply no special reason to call Xi. Biden promised a different kind of relationship with China earlier than his predecessor Donald Trump maintained.
“We haven’t had an opportunity to talk to each other yet,” Biden said in an interview with CBS. “There is no reason not to call him.”
Biden added that he knew Xi “quite well” after eight years serving as vice president under Barack Obama.
“I’ve probably spent more time with Xi Jinping than any world leader,” he said. Biden also said his approach to China would be different from former President Trump’s and Xi knows that.
“We don’t have to have a conflict, but there will be extreme competition,” said Biden. He also reiterated his earlier remark that Xi does not have a democratic, with a small d, bone in his body.