US President Joe Biden asked China to urge Iran to refrain from actions perceived as 'provocative' in the Middle East, as shared by a senior US official after a four-hour meeting between Biden and China's Xi Jinping on Wednesday.

The official said Chinese officials had also engaged in discussions with Iran on regional risks.

Biden, Xi agree to restore military ties

In the meeting, Biden praised the "most constructive" discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They agreed, in their first summit in a year, to reestablish military communications and alleviate tensions.

"I have just concluded several hours of meetings with President Xi and I believe they are some of the most constructive and productive discussions we've had," Biden told a press conference at the Filoli estate in California.

The decision to reinstate a military hotline, severed by China after a visit to Taiwan by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2022, was deemed "crucially important," he emphasized.

"Miscalculations on either side can cause real, real trouble with a country like China," he said. "And so I think we're making real progress there." However, Xi and Biden maintained significant differences on the broader issue of Taiwan. The Chinese president urged his US counterpart to halt arms sales to the island, asserting that reunification was "inevitable".

Leaders vow to reduce tensions 

In their first meeting in a year, Biden and Jinping shook hands and promised to keep their nations out of conflict. 

Relations between the two countries have significantly deteriorated in the past years due to Washington's increasingly hostile policies against Beijing and its encroaching on its geopolitical sphere, particularly regarding Taiwan.

The two leaders held private discussions about trade, sanctions, and Taiwan—topics that have strained ties between the two for years.

Biden began his speech by stating that tensions should "not veer into conflict." He added that the meetings have always been "candid and straightforward and useful," adding that the two leaders should understand each other "with no misconceptions or miscommunication. We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict."

Xi echoed similar concerns, citing that "conflict and confrontation have unbearable consequences for both sides" and that for large nations like China and the US, "turning their back on each other is not an option."