Biden and Xi will discuss the Israel-Gaza war

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss the Israel-Gaza war. US officials reported this.

Two top US officials have confirmed to the BBC that Biden and Xi Jinping are going to meet at San Francisco’s Bay Arena this week.

After Joe Biden became the President of the United States, the two powerful presidents will meet for the second time on November 15.

U.S. officials say the Israel-Gaza war, Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and election meddling will come up at the meeting.

Relations between the two countries cracked earlier this year. The US claims that China has sent a spy balloon into its skies. It was later shot down by US warplanes off the coast of South Carolina.

Earlier last year, then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, due to which China cut military contact between the two countries.

In the US, Biden is said to be ‘committed’ to re-establishing the relationship, but China does not seem very ‘interested’.

A US official said, “The relationship is not like it was five or 10 years ago, so we can’t give a long list – that there will be many results or something to say.” The aim this time is to address the issue of competition, take measures to avoid any risk of conflict and ensure that communication continues.”

The Biden-Xi meeting is being held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which is being held from November 11 to 17 in San Francisco, USA.

On the Chinese side, the focus will be on discussions on Taiwan, where general elections are scheduled to be held early next year. China considers this self-governing island nation as part of itself.

Xi may want assurances that the United States will not support Taiwan’s claim for independence in any way. On the other hand, Biden is expected to highlight US concerns about China’s military activities around Taiwan.

Tensions over US restrictions on technology exports to China and Beijing’s territorial claims in the South and East China Seas will also be discussed.

Beyond these core disagreements over trade and competition, Biden would have an urgent request — that China use all its influence to warn Iran. So that the country does not spread the conflict in the Middle East around the Israel-Hamas war.

Analysts expect the meeting to achieve something modest – such as re-establishing military ties between the two countries and halting the flow of Chinese-made fentanyl.

But neither side is expecting such an unprecedented breakthrough – one that would help restart relations between the two countries. This discussion is mainly to maintain stability and understanding.

China blames Washington for the deterioration of the relationship.

Jude Blanchett of the Center for the Strategic and International Studies said Xi made this clear last March, when he accused the US of “encircling and suppressing China”.

And while China’s ambassador to the United States, Ji Feng, praised positive steps toward improving relations, he also sought assurances from the United States.

Beijing wants to know that “the United States does not want to change the Chinese system, will not descend into a Cold War, support Taiwan’s independence claim, or aim to separate from China,” he said at a Hong Kong forum on US-China relations.

The Biden administration says it is trying to counter aggressive Chinese behavior — which violates international norms.

The efforts of the United States to reduce the tension surrounding the balloon incident are also worth seeing.

It has sent three cabinet members to Beijing since last June, including Foreign Minister Blinken.

Blinken abruptly canceled the visit last February, accusing China of flying spy balloons over US airspace as ‘unacceptable and irresponsible’.

But when the visit finally took place last June, he described having very “vigorous discussions” with Xi. And this conference is the result of his diplomacy.

US officials say their diplomats have pushed for resumption of military contact with China in “almost every discussion”, but with no success.

In turn, the spy balloon issue came up and talk of establishing contact stalled, a US official said.

“I think that balloon episode created quite a problem with our high-level communication with Beijing at the time,” he said.

After the meeting with Biden, Xi will attend a private dinner with US business representatives in San Francisco, according to several US media reports.

The New York Times says that for 40 thousand US dollars, a guest will have the opportunity to sit at the same table with the President of China. And the ticket price per person starts from 2000 dollars.

A spokesman for the National Committee on US-China Relations, which is also involved in organizing the dinner, told the BBC that an event with “very senior” Chinese officials was planned, but did not confirm whether Xi would attend.

Ahead of the Xi-Biden meeting, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is holding a meeting with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, where economic cooperation between the two countries will be discussed.

Ahead of this meeting, China’s state media Global Times in its editorial put the burden of “eliminating and overcoming the crisis” on the China-US relationship on Biden.

“There is an evil force in Washington that does not want U.S.-China relations to improve, and whenever complications arise – they take a more active role,” their Nov. 8 editorial wrote.

Source: BBC

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