Biden discusses China's 'coercive and unfair economic practices' during call with Xi Jinping

President Biden on Wednesday placed his first call to Chinese President Xi Jinping since taking office, and the White House said he raised "fundamental concerns" about the government's "coercive and unfair economic practices," "human rights abuses in Xinjiang," and the "crackdown in Hong Kong."

During their conversation, the leaders also discussed how to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the White House said, and Biden let Xi know that he wants the two to work together to fight climate change and prevent nuclear weapons proliferation.

Former President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on China, and a senior Biden administration official told NBC News there are no plans to lift them at this time, but there "will be changes to the trade policy toward China." The official said there is "merit in the basic proposition of an intense strategic competition with China," but there were "deep problems with the way in which the Trump administration went about that competition." Biden plans on engaging with allies and attending summits, where he will make it clear that his China policy isn't a continuation of Trump's, the official added.