Xi-Biden phone call sets tone for next stage of China-U.S. relations, says expert

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- The phone call between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden has set a tone for the next stage of relations between the two countries, U.S. expert on China Robert Lawrence Kuhn has said.

"We've been saying for some time that the first step in improving U.S.-China relations is not to make matters worse, to stop the cascading decline and precipitous deterioration," Kuhn told Xinhua in an interview on Friday. "The Biden-Xi call accomplishes this immediate objective."

Xi took a phone call on Friday from Biden, and the two leaders had candid, in-depth and extensive strategic communication and exchanges on China-U.S. relations and relevant issues of mutual interest.

The two leaders want to make sure that the biggest developing country and the biggest developed one "seek cooperation where they can, manage competition where they must, and avoid conflict at all costs," Kuhn observed.

"There is a long way to go, of course, and there are many serious issues on both sides, but at least the two presidents have taken the first step by ensuring that matters will not get worse," he added.