Xi Jinping used his final meeting with outgoing president Joe Biden to lay out four “red lines” that Washington must not cross and warned Donald Trump against pushing on the guardrails of US-China relations.
In the final chapter of their diplomatic engagement, the Chinese president and his American counterpart held a two-hour meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru.
Extending an olive branch to the incoming president, Mr Xi said China stood committed to continued dialogue and cooperation to sustain the “hardwon” stability in bilateral relations but warned against a “new Cold War”.
A lengthy readout of the meeting in Lima didn’t mention Mr Trump by name, but spelled out Beijing’s approach to dealing with his administration.
“The Taiwan question, democracy and human rights, China’s path and system, and China’s development right are four red lines for China,” it quoted Mr Xi as saying.
“They must not be challenged. These are the most important guardrails and safety nets for China-US relations.”
Mr Biden told Mr Xi that the two leaders did not always agree, but their discussions were always "frank and candid”.
The Lima meeting comes as the Chinese leadership prepares for a likely trade war under the Trump administration.
Mr Trump vowed during his campaign for president to impose a blanket 60 per cent tariff on Chinese goods as part of a package of "America First" trade measures.
The Republican has staffed his incoming cabinet with a number of China hawks such as Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Mike Waltz as national security adviser.
“A new Cold War should not be fought and cannot be won. Containing China is unwise, unacceptable and bound to fail,” Mr Xi told the American president.
Mentioning Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te by name, Mr Xi urged the US to understand his true nature and handle the “Taiwan question with extra prudence”.
China considers Taiwan an integral part of the country and sees Mr Lai, a proponent of the island’s independence, as a “separatist”.
On the question of the South China Sea, Mr Xi warned that the US “should not get involved in bilateral disputes over the relevant islands”.
He slammed the policy of a “small yard and high fence”, a term employed by US national security advisor Jake Sullivan to describe American efforts to block China from accessing advanced technology.
The White House readout of the meeting said Mr Xi and Mr Biden “stressed the importance of responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship” as well as ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Mr Biden reportedly raised the issue of alleged North Korean troop deployment in Russia, a close ally of Beijing.
He “condemned the deployment of thousands of DPRK troops to Russia, a dangerous expansion of Russia’s unlawful war against Ukraine with serious consequences for both European and Indo-Pacific peace and security,” it said.
“He expressed deep concern over the PRC’s continued support for Russia’s defence industrial base.”
On Taiwan, the readout said, Mr Biden reiterated that Washington opposed unilateral changes to the status quo from either side and expected any differences to be resolved by peaceful means.
