Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden smiled for the cameras at the G20 summit in November 2022 via Reuters/File Photo
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet on November 15 in the San Francisco Bay area, marking their second face-to-face meeting during the Biden presidency. The discussions are expected to cover a wide range of topics, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, the situation in Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and concerns about election interference.
The diplomatic relations between the two countries had experienced a deterioration earlier this year, partly fueled by incidents such as the US accusing China of sending a spy balloon into its airspace, leading to its interception by an American warplane off the coast of South Carolina. Additionally, a visit to Taiwan by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi in the previous year resulted in China breaking off communication between their respective militaries.
President Biden is reportedly committed to restoring communication channels between the two nations, although China has shown reluctance in this regard. The meeting aims to manage the competition between the two global powers, prevent the risk of conflict, and ensure open channels of communication, according to US officials.
The encounter is scheduled to take place during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit, hosted by the US in San Francisco from November 11 to 17. Key issues on the agenda may include Taiwan, where China asserts sovereignty, and discussions around US restrictions on technology exports to China, as well as tensions related to Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China and East China Seas.
In addition to trade and competition disputes, President Biden is expected to urge China to use its influence to restrain Iran and prevent an escalation of violence in the Middle East due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Analysts anticipate modest achievements from the summit, potentially focusing on restoring military communications and addressing the flow of Chinese-made Fentanyl.
While both sides may seek to manage and stabilize the relationship, achieving a substantial breakthrough is not anticipated. The Chinese perspective attributes the deterioration in relations to perceived actions by Washington, as President Xi accused the US in March of “encircling, containing, and suppressing China.”
China’s ambassador to the US, Xie Feng, emphasized the importance of assurances from the US, including commitments not to seek changes to China’s system, avoid a new Cold War, refrain from supporting Taiwan’s independence, and express no intention to decouple from China. The Biden administration aims to counter what it views as aggressive Chinese behavior, but it has also engaged in diplomatic efforts to ease tensions following incidents like the spy balloon episode.
US officials acknowledge the difficulty of re-establishing high-level communications with China, citing persistent efforts to highlight the importance of such dialogue. A recent meeting between US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng focused on economic cooperation between the two nations.
In anticipation of the summit, Chinese state media outlet Global Times emphasized the responsibility on President Biden to overcome disruptions in US-China relations, citing a perceived negative force in Washington undermining bilateral ties.
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