Chinese leader urges US to stop arms sales to Taiwan during summit
CNA 2013-06-09 15:45
Chinese president Xi Jinping, left, talks with US president Barack Obama at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California June 8, 2013.(Photo/Xinhua)
Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the US to stop arms sales to Taiwan during his informal summit with US president Barack Obama.
At a briefing after Xi's two-day meeting with Obama at an estate in the southern California desert, Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi said Xi reiterated Beijing's stance that the Taiwan issue is a cause of great concern to China's 1.3 billion people.
Xi told Obama that Beijing hopes Washington will commit itself to the "one-China" principle, follow the three communiques on which the two sides' ties are based and not sell arms to Taiwan, Yang said.
Yang did not disclose how Obama responded to Xi's request, except to say that Taiwan was the fifth of seventh issues broached by Xi during his meeting with Obama.
The main issues discussed by the two leaders were cybersecurity, with Obama confronting Xi with evidence of China's cyber thievery, and North Korea, on which the two sides appeared to find common ground.
Yang said that Xi also called on the US to develop "major country" relations with China.
"We have to stay each other's partners, not rivals," Yang said in describing such a relationship.
Xi told Obama that the two sides should respect each other and their choice of social system and development, seek common ground while setting aside differences, and pursue a win-win situation rather than see things as a zero-sum game, Yang said.
Xi flew home after the summit ended at noon Saturday (3am Sunday Taipei time).
