| [{"text": "BEIJING - In a sharp rebuff, China accused Washington on Wednesday of taking Japan's side in a tense clash over disputed islands in the East China Sea, underscoring rising regional friction as visiting Vice President Joe Biden met with Beijing's leaders."}, {"text": "Emerging from a private meeting with President Xi Jinping that went considerably longer than scheduled, Biden appeared somber and subdued."}, {"text": "In a brief appearance before reporters in which he took no questions, Biden did not go into details on differences over China's newly declared restricted flying zone."}, {"text": "Instead, he spoke of a 'new model of major country cooperation,' saying U.S.-China relations must hinge on trust and a positive notion of each other's motives."}, {"text": "The awkward kickoff for a series of official meetings in Beijing followed Biden's speech earlier Wednesday urging young Chinese citizens to challenge orthodoxy and the status quo."}, {"text": "The vice president drew an implicit contrast between the authoritarian rule of China's government and the liberal, permissive intellectual culture he described in the United States."}, {"text": "Neither Biden nor Xi made public mention of the clash over disputed territory that has pitted China against the United States and its Asian allies."}, {"text": "An editorial in the state media China Daily charged, however, that Washington 'is turning a blind eye to Tokyo's provocations,' calling that the 'root cause of the tensions'."}, {"text": "It said that 'the United States is wrongly pointing an accusing finger at China for 'unilaterally' changing the 'status quo' in the East China Sea'."}, {"text": "Biden told reporters after his initial talks with Xi that the relationship between the two major powers will significantly affect the course of the 21st century."}, {"text": "If the U.S. and China can get that relationship right, the possibilities are limitless, he said to reporters who were allowed in briefly after the vice president met with Xi."}, {"text": "Biden said he came to Beijing because complex relationships require sustained engagement at high levels."}, {"text": "He said Xi's candor and constructive approach had left an impression on him."}, {"text": "'Candor generates trust,' Biden said."}, {"text": "'Trust is the basis on which real change - constructive change - is made'."}, {"text": "The two leaders had a second meeting involving larger delegations and a working dinner planned for later Wednesday."}, {"text": "Absent from Biden's public comments was any discussion of U.S. concerns over China's new air defense zone."}, {"text": "Only a day earlier, Biden pledged to raise those concerns 'with great specificity' with Xi and other Chinese leaders, adding that China's move was deeply concerning."}, {"text": "'This action has raised regional tensions and increased the risk of accidents and miscalculation,' Biden said in Tokyo Tuesday after meeting with Japanese President Shinzo Abe."}, {"text": "Japan has been on edge for the past two weeks since China unilaterally declared any planes flying through the zone must file flight plans with Beijing."}, {"text": "The airspace sits above tiny islands that are at the center of a long-running territorial dispute between China and Japan."}, {"text": "The U.S. refuses to recognize the zone, but Biden has avoided calling publicly for Beijing to retract it, wary of making demands that China is likely to snub."}, {"text": "Rather, the vice president hoped to persuade China not to enforce the zone or establish similar zones over other disputed territories."}, {"text": "After meeting with Biden, Xi said the U.S.-China relationship had gotten off to a good start this year 'and has generally maintained a momentum of positive development'."}, {"text": "But he said the global situation is changing, with more pronounced challenges and regional hotspots that keep cropping up."}, {"text": "'The world as a whole is not tranquil,' Xi said through a translator, adding that the U.S. and China shoulder important responsibilities for upholding peace."}, {"text": "'To strengthen dialogue and cooperation is the only right choice facing both of our countries'."}, {"text": "Added Biden, 'The way I was raised was to believe that change presents opportunity'."}, {"text": "In his speech earlier to young Chinese citizens waiting at the U.S. embassy to get visitor visas processed, the vice president said: 'I hope you learn that innovation can only occur where you can breathe free, challenge the government, challenge religious leaders'."}, {"text": "Biden told young Chinese citizens waiting at the U.S. embassy to get visitor visas processed."}, {"text": "'Children in America are rewarded - not punished - for challenging the status quo,' he said."}, {"text": "Biden's comments were not immediately reported by Chinese state media and were not likely to be widely known in China."}, {"text": "A one-minute excerpt of his speech posted by the Sina news website included Biden's comment about challenging the 'status quo,' but left out the one about challenging the government."}, {"text": "When Biden arrived later at the Great Hall of the People, a ceremonial edifice steps away from Tiananmen Square, any tensions between the U.S. and China were papered over as Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao welcomed him with an elaborate honor guard."}, {"text": "A military band played the two countries' national anthems as Biden and Xi stood amid the massive hall's marble floors and crisscrossing red carpets."}] |