Biden and Xi meeting lowers the temperature
China and US to resume contacts after tensions
President Joe Biden objected directly to China’s “coercive and increasingly aggressive actions” towards Taiwan during the first in-person meeting of his presidency with Xi Jinping, as the two superpower leaders aimed to “manage” their differences in the competition for global influence.
The nearly three-hour meeting was the highlight of Biden’s trip to the Middle East and Asia, and came amid increasing economic and security tensions. Speaking afterwards, Biden said that when it comes to China, the United States would “compete vigorously, but I’m not looking for conflict”.
He added: “I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War” between the powers.
Biden reiterated US support for its longstanding “One-china” policy, which recognises the Government in Beijing — while allowing for informal American relations and defence ties with Taipei, and “strategic ambiguity” over whether the US would respond militarily if the island were attacked. He also said that he does not believe “there’s any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan”.
Xi, according to the Chinese Government’s account of the meeting, “stressed that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China’s core interests, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-us relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-us relations”.
Biden said he and Xi also discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and “reaffirmed our shared belief” that the use or even the threat of nuclear weapons is “totally unacceptable”. That was a reference to Moscow’s thinly veiled threats to use atomic weapons as its war has faltered. Chinese officials have largely refrained from public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support of the Russians.
While there were no watershed breakthroughs, the Biden-xi meeting brought each side long-sought, if modest, gains. In addition to the shared condemnation of Russian nuclear threats, Biden appeared to secure from Xi the resumption of lower-level cooperation from China on a range of shared global challenges. Xi got Biden’s forceful One-china policy commitment.
The White House said Biden and Xi agreed to “empower key senior officials” to work on areas of potential cooperation, including tackling climate change and maintaining global financial, health and food stability. Beijing had cut off such contacts with the US in protest at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in August.
China and the US are the world’s worst climate polluters, and their oneon-one climate contacts are seen as vital to staving off some of the most dire scenarios of climate change.
The two leaders agreed to have US Secretary of State Antony Blinken travel to Beijing to continue discussions.
Relations between the two powers have grown more strained under successive American administrations, with economic, trade, human rights and security differences at the fore.
Xi and Biden warmly greeted each other with a handshake in Indonesia, where they are attending the G20 summit.
“As the leaders of our two nations, we share responsibility, in my view, to show that China and the US can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict, and to find ways to work together on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation,” Biden said.
Xi called on Biden to “chart the right course” and “elevate the relationship” between China and the US. He said he wanted a “candid and indepth exchange of views”.
Both men entered the highly anticipated meeting with bolstered political standing at home. Democrats triumphantly held onto control of the US Senate while Xi was awarded a third five-year term in October.
US officials were eager to see how Xi approached the meeting after consolidating his position.
“I didn’t find him more confrontational or more conciliatory,” Biden said. “I found him the way he’s always been, direct and straightforward.” — AP