US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are going to meet this week at San Francisco’s Bay Arena. Two senior US officials confirmed this to the BBC.
After Joe Biden became the President of the United States, the two powerful presidents will meet for the second time on November 15.
US officials say that many issues such as Israel-Gaza war, Taiwan, Ukraine war and election interference will be raised in this 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.
The US says Biden is ‘determined’ to reestablish the relationship, but China doesn’t seem very ‘interested’.
A US official said, ‘The relationship is not the same as it was five or 10 years ago, so we can’t give a long list that will have many results or something to say. The aim is to manage 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 November 17 in San Francisco, USA.
Discussions about Taiwan will be at the top of interest from China. Where general elections are due 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 raise US concerns about Beijing’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.
In addition to these core disagreements over trade and competition, Biden will have urgent requests that China use all its influence to warn Iran. So that the conflict in the Middle East does not spread around the Israel-Hamas war.
Analysts expect something moderate to be achieved from the meeting. For example, the two countries would restore military contact and stop the flow of Chinese-made fentanyl.
But neither side is expecting such a dramatic breakthrough. Which will help to restart the relationship between the two countries. It is basically 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, “The United States does not want to change the Chinese system, will not enter into any Cold War, will not support Taiwan’s demand for independence, or has no intention of separating from China”. He made this comment at the Hong Kong Forum on US-China relations.
The Biden administration says it is trying to counter aggressive Chinese behavior that 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 Anthony Blinken.
Blinken abruptly canceled the visit last February, accusing China of flying spy balloons over US airspace as ‘unacceptable and irresponsible’.
But finally last June when the tour took place. 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.
According to several US media reports, Xi will attend a private dinner with US business representatives in San Francisco after his meeting with President Biden.
According to the New York Times, in exchange for 40 thousand US dollars, a guest will have the opportunity to sit at the same table with the Chinese president. And the ticket price per person starts from 2000 dollars.
A spokesman for the National Committee on US-China Relations. An event with “very high-ranking” Chinese officials is planned, he told the BBC, who is also involved in organizing the dinner. However, he did not confirm whether Xi would be present there.
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-run media Global Times has put the burden on Biden to “eliminate and overcome the crisis” in China-US relations in their editorial.
Their Nov. 8 editorial said, “There is an evil force in Washington that does not want US-China relations to improve and takes a more active role whenever complications arise.”
Source: BBC
