U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke briefly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday in another step toward keeping lines of communication open between the two biggest economies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harris and Xi exchanged remarks Saturday while heading into a closed-door meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum\u2019s summit in Bangkok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI greeted President Xi before the APEC Leaders Retreat,\u201d Harris wrote on Twitter. \u201cI noted a key message that President Biden emphasized in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their exchange closely echoed Biden\u2019s comment to Xi at an meeting between the two leaders earlier in the week about China and the U.S. keeping lines of communication open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A brief statement from China\u2019s Foreign Ministry also referenced the Biden-Xi meeting at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, which it described as \u201cstrategic and constructive\u201d with \u201cmajor significance in guiding the next stage of China-US relations.\u201d It said it hoped the vice president will play an active role in working with China to promote the two nations\u2019 relations \u201cto return to a healthy and stable track.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Relations between Washington and Beijing have suffered frictions over trade and technology, China\u2019s claims to the separately governed island of Taiwan, the pandemic and China\u2019s handling of Hong Kong, human rights and other issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harris later took part in a handover ceremony in which Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha handed over chairmanship of APEC to the United States, which will host the group\u2019s meetings next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She told the leaders present for the ceremony that the United States would continue to focus APEC on sustainable economic growth, building on the strong foundation Thailand set this year with new ambitious sustainability goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She also touted her home state, California, saying \u201cthere is no better place to host APEC 2023 than California, a state known for economic innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur host year will demonstrate the enduring economic commitment of the United States to the Indo-Pacific,\u201d said Harris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs I have made clear throughout my time in Bangkok: under our administration, the United States is a strong partner for the economies and companies of the Indo-Pacific, and we are working to strengthen our economic relationships throughout the region, including by increasing two-way trade flows and the free flow of capital, which supports millions of American jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Friday, Harris pitched the U.S. as a reliable economic partner, telling a business conference on APEC\u2019s sidelines, \u201cThe United States is here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n