Joe Biden tells Chinese to challenge their leaders By the time Mr Biden began his schedule of meetings with Communist party leaders, however, he had slipped back into familiar, conciliatory rhetoric. After being welcomed at the Great Hall of the People by Li Yuanchao, his Chinese counterpart, Mr Biden said the US-China relationship is "a hugely consequential relationship that is going to affect the course of the 21st century." "Like all complex relationships, it calls for sustained, high-level engagement," he said, adding that he believed Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, is committed "to managing our differences candidly and constructively." Beijing was the second stop in Mr Biden's Asian tour, which saw him begin the week in Tokyo. Tensions in East Asia have risen once again in the wake of China's announcement of an "air defence identification zone" over a chain of islands that both Beijing and Tokyo claim sovereignty to. Mr Biden promised Japan that he would raise the issue "in great specificity" with China and has already called for the installation of hotlines to ensure there is no confusion over the zone. An editorial in the state-run China Daily on Wednesday warned that US support for Japan would undermine Biden's credibility in China. "Despite trying to present the image of being an impartial mediator, Washington has obviously taken Japan's side," it said. He should not expect any substantial headway if he comes simply to repeat his government's previous erroneous and one-sided remarks.