SIMIC

The talks are the most substantial since Mr Biden took office in January. Both sides emphasised the two men's personal relationship and the summit was an attempt to ease tensions.

But they could not escape one of the most sensitive topics: the self-ruled island of Taiwan. China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland one day, reports BBC.

The US recognises and has formal ties with China. But it has also pledged to help Taiwan defend itself in the event of an attack.

China's state-run Global Times said Mr Xi blamed recent tensions on "repeated attempts by the Taiwan authorities to look for US support for their independence agenda as well as the intention of some Americans to use Taiwan to contain China".

"Such moves are extremely dangerous, just like playing with fire. Whoever plays with fire will get burnt," it said.

The White House said Mr Biden "strongly opposes unilateral efforts to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait".

Despite the strong words on Taiwan, the meeting began with both leaders greeting each other warmly, with Mr Xi saying he was happy to see his "old friend" Mr Biden.

Mr Xi said the two countries needed to improve "communication" and face challenges "together".

"Humanity lives in a global village, and we face multiple challenges together. China and the US need to increase communication and co-operation." said Mr Xi.

The world's two most powerful nations do not see eye-to-eye on a number of issues, and Mr Biden raised US concerns about human rights abuses in Hong Kong and against Uyghurs in the north-west region of Xinjiang. China accuses the US of meddling in its domestic affairs.

On trade, Mr Biden highlighted the "need to protect American workers and industries from the People's Republic of China's unfair trade and economic practices".

Mr Xi also appeared to have made a strong comment on the issue, with Reuters reporting that he had told Mr Biden that the US needed to stop "abusing the concept of national security to oppress Chinese companies".