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| US President Joe Biden affirmed that the country is not seeking to separate from China. (Source: AFP) |
The remarks came as the US leader prepares for a highly anticipated summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco, on the sidelines of the Asia- Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting.
“We are not trying to separate from China,” the leader told reporters just before leaving for San Francisco. “What we are trying to do is change the relationship for the better.”
When asked what he hopes to achieve at the upcoming summit, President Biden shared that he wants to "get back to normal communication; be able to pick up the phone and talk to each other if there's a crisis; be able to make sure our militaries are still communicating with each other."
However, President Biden also warned that the US should be cautious when investing in China, saying: "I will no longer support the condition that if we want to invest in China, we have to hand over all our trade secrets."
On the same day, November 14, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Washington hopes the upcoming US-China Summit will lead to action to help combat fentanyl trafficking.
The US is willing to lift restrictions on the Chinese Academy of Forensic Sciences, a unit of the country's Ministry of Public Security , a source familiar with the plans said.
Earlier in 2020, Washington put the institute on the Commerce Department's "entity list".
Intercepting fentanyl precursors is a top priority for Washington as overdose deaths linked to the drug more than tripled between 2016 and 2021, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Fentanyl is a very powerful synthetic opioid used as a painkiller or anesthetic in combination with other drugs. However, fentanyl is also used illegally as a psychotropic substance, sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine, benzodiazepines or methamphetamines...
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