US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi
Jinping met outside of San Francisco in their first face-to-face encounter in a
year on Wednesday.
The summit, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC), followed efforts between US and China to increase
high-level communication amid continued tensions.
“I think it’s paramount that you and I understand each
other clearly leader to leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication,”
Biden said at the start of the summit.
Xi arrived in the US on Tuesday (local time) and the
meeting, occurring at an undisclosed estate, marked the first encounter between
the two leaders in a year and Xi’s first visit to the US in six years.
“For two large countries like China and United
States, turning their back on each other is not an option,” Xi said in his
opening remarks. “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.”
This high-stakes meeting serves as a critical test for
Biden and Xi, aiming to address the escalating tensions between the two nations
amid global turbulence.
Despite months of friction, the fact that the meeting
took place was considered a positive sign by White House aides.
The White House said the meeting between President
Biden and President Xi Jinping will address hard issues such as fentanyl
supplies coming in from Asia and a lack of military communication.
With this summit, President Biden aims to restore
communications with China’s Jinping.
Biden, in his opening remarks, said competition
between US and China could not tilt towards conflict and added that his
past meetings with Xi had been “candid, straightforward and useful.”
“As always, there is no substitute for face-to-face
discussions. I’ve always found our discussions straightforward and frank,”
Biden said.
Biden added that the leaders had a responsibility to
their populations to work together, including on issues of climate change,
countering narcotics trafficking and approaching artificial intelligence.
While, Xi said in his remarks to Biden and the US
delegation, “The world has emerged from the COVID pandemic but is still under
its tremendous impacts. The global economy is recovering, but its momentum
remains sluggish.”
The Chinese President added that his country’s
relationship with US has “never been smooth sailing” over the last 50 years “yet
it has kept moving forward” with twists and turns.
According to a senior White House official, the
leaders engaged in discussions concerning the strategic direction of the
bilateral relationship and the paramount importance of maintaining open lines
of communication, including military-to-military dialogue.
Their agenda encompassed a wide spectrum of regional
and global matters, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas
conflict and Indo-Pacific.
Furthermore, they are expected to explore
opportunities for collaboration where the interests of the United States and
China converge, particularly on transnational challenges of global
significance, such as climate change and counter-narcotics efforts.
The two leaders addressed other issues like human
rights, trade-related issues, the South China Sea dispute, and the pursuit of a
fair and equitable environment for US businesses and workers.
The White House official emphasised that virtually
every aspect of the bilateral relationship will be open for discussion,
encompassing topics such as fentanyl, artificial intelligence, and the
situation of US detainees in China.
A senior White House official articulated the primary
objective of United States as establishing a framework for effectively
navigating a challenging, intricate, and multifaceted relationship.
In their own words, “This is not the same relationship
as it was five or ten years ago. We are not setting our sights on an extensive
list of specific outcomes or deliverables. Instead, our objectives are centered
on the prudent management of competition, the mitigation of potential
conflicts, and the preservation of open lines of communication.
We approach these meetings with a grounded sense of
realism regarding our expectations, recognising the imperative of responsible
management of this competition, a stance that aligns with the expectations of
our partners and allies.”
ANI
