US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are to meet next week in the San Francisco Bay area, two senior administration officials said.
On November 15, President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have their second face-to-face meeting during the Biden presidency.
The discussions during the meeting on November 15 will cover a wide range of topics, including the Israel-Hamas war, Taiwan, the conflict in Ukraine, and concerns about election interference.
President Biden is “determined” to restore communication channels between the US and China, according to US officials. However, there is apparent reluctance from China to do so. The officials emphasized that the current relationship differs significantly from that of five or ten years ago, and the focus is not on a lengthy list of outcomes or deliverables. Instead, the primary goals are managing competition, preventing the risk of conflict, and ensuring open channels of communication.
The Biden-Xi bilateral meeting is scheduled during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit hosted by the US in San Francisco from November 11 to 17.
During the meeting, President Xi Jinping may seek additional assurances from the US that it does not support Taiwanese independence. Conversely, President Biden is anticipated to emphasize American concerns regarding Beijing’s military activities around Taiwan, as noted by a senior administration official. The status of Taiwan remains a sensitive and complex issue in US-China relations.
In addition to the aforementioned issues, discussions are expected to cover US restrictions on technology exports to China and tensions related to Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China and East China Seas. Apart from these trade and competition disputes, President Biden is likely to urgently request China’s assistance in urging Iran to avoid escalating violence in the Middle East in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Analysts anticipate that the summit may yield modest achievements, potentially focusing on restoring military communications and implementing restrictions on the flow of Chinese-made Fentanyl. However, both sides do not anticipate any breakthroughs that would fundamentally reset the relationship; instead, the emphasis will be on managing and stabilizing it.
The Chinese government places blame on Washington for the deteriorating relations, as evidenced by President Xi Jinping accusing the US of “encircling, containing, and suppressing China” in March. While China’s US ambassador, Xie Feng, acknowledged positive steps toward improving ties, he emphasized the importance of assurances from the US. Beijing seeks confirmation that the US does not intend to change China’s system, does not seek a new Cold War, does not support Taiwan independence, and has no intention of decoupling from China.
The Biden administration asserts that it is countering aggressive Chinese behavior that violates international norms. Despite tensions, efforts have been made to ease the situation, including sending three cabinet members to Beijing since June, led by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Biden administration has consistently raised the importance of re-establishing military dialogue in conversations with Chinese counterparts, but progress has been elusive. The spy balloon incident, which resulted in a freeze in communications, has been a persistent point of contention and difficulty in establishing high-level communications with Beijing.
Following the incident in February, Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a trip to Beijing, citing China’s “unacceptable and irresponsible” decision to fly an apparent spy balloon over the US. However, the trip eventually took place in June, where Mr. Blinken engaged in what he described as “a robust conversation” with President Xi Jinping. The upcoming summit is seen as a result of this hands-on diplomacy.
Reports from multiple US media outlets indicate that President Xi will also attend a private dinner with US business executives in San Francisco after the meeting with President Biden. Tickets for guests to sit at the Chinese president’s table are priced at $40,000 (£32,800), with tickets starting at $2,000 per person, according to the New York Times.
The National Committee on US-China Relations, one of the organizers of the dinner, has confirmed a planned event with an “extremely senior” Chinese official, but did not confirm if it was President Xi Jinping. Additionally, US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen held talks with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng this week to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries in preparation for the Xi-Biden meeting.
Chinese state media outlet Global Times published an editorial ahead of the visit, placing the responsibility on President Biden to “overcome and eliminate disruptions” between China and the US. The editorial, dated November 8, stated that there is a “dark force in Washington” undermining US-China relations, particularly during critical moments.
