ISLAMABAD    -   Pakistan is happy that Chi­na and the Unit­ed States have held a historic di­alogue – a step towards averting a new cold war.

Pakistan is very close to China and despite ups and downs in relation­ship - remains an ally of the US. The US has on a number of times, shown displeasure with Islam­abad’s unique closeness to Beijing.

Pakistan has repeat­edly made it clear that it will not be support­ing bloc politics at the global level and want­ed good ties with all the countries, especially the super powers.

Prior to the USSR dis­integration in 1991, the US and the USSR were engaged in a fierce cold war and the world was virtually divided into two blocs – supporting one or the other. Paki­integration in 1991, the US and the USSR were engaged in a fierce cold war and the world was virtu­ally divided into two blocs – sup­porting one or the other. Pakistan then supported the US.

Yesterday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden have promised to coop­erate on global challenges and agreed on the need to improve strained relations as they sat down for their first in-person meeting as national leaders.

The meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indo­nesia, involved ‘candid’ discus­sions on a range of issues, in­cluding Taiwan, trade, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ac­cording to separate statements from their offices.

Following the three-hour long talks, Biden told the journalists he believed “there need not be a new Cold War,” while their offic­es said the two leaders stressed the importance of cooperation between Beijing and Washing­ton to tackle global issues.

The meeting follows a spike in tensions between the two coun­tries after top US legislator Nan­cy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this year and Biden promised to defend the self-ruled island - which Beijing claims as its own - if China invades it.

“On Taiwan, (Biden) laid out in detail that our one Chi­na policy has not changed, the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the sta­tus quo by either side, and the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and sta­bility in the Taiwan Strait,” the White House said.

Under the ‘One China policy’, the US recognises the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Bei­jing over the Republic of China (ROC) in Taipei as the sole and legal government of China. But Washington takes no position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, con­tending that its future should be determined by peaceful means.

This policy is different to the PRC’s ‘One China principle’, un­der which Beijing insists that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory.

Chinese official media cit­ed Xi as saying that the “two sides should work with all countries to bring more hope to world peace, greater confi­dence in global stability, and stronger impetus to common development.”

For his part, Xi stressed that the “Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core inter­ests, the bedrock of the politi­cal foundation of China-US re­lations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in Chi­na-US relations.” Resolving this question is an internal Chinese matter and the US must not use Taiwan as a tool to seek advan­tages in competition with China, he said, according to readout of the meeting by the Chinese for­eign ministry.

After the meeting ended, Biden told journalists that Washington does not believe there was an immediate threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

“I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War,” Biden said. “I’ve met many times with Xi Jinping. And we were candid and clear with one another across the board. And I do not think there’s any immi­nent attempt on the part of Chi­na to invade Taiwan.”

Beyond Taiwan, ties between Beijing and Washington have soured over numerous other points of tension in recent years, including trade issues, human rights, claims to the South China Sea and an ongoing US effort to counter China’s growing influ­ence in the Indo-Pacific.

The White House said Biden raised concerns with Xi over China’s “practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and hu­man rights more broadly”. The US has accused China of car­rying out genocide against its Muslim Uighur minority in the western region of Xinjiang — a charge that Beijing vehement­ly denies.

He also raised concerns about ‘China’s non-market practic­es’ and said it was a priority for Washington to resolve the cases of American citizens de­tained by Beijing.

Pakistani diplomats said the talks between China and the US had been positive and a new beginning. “We cannot expect all issues to be resolved in one sitting but the statements from both the sides have been en­couraging. We support the dia­logue for solution of the issues at all levels,” said a senior dip­lomat. Another diplomat said, “The talks at the highest lev­el always help resolve issues. The two presidents have shown the intent to resolve the issues and move forward. Pakistan is hopeful of positive results in the long run.”