There is an ice age between China and the USA, and the list of points of contention is long. Much is therefore expected from the meeting between Xi and Biden at the G20 summit. The US President has known his Chinese counterpart for years and hopes this will help resolve conflicts.
US President Joe Biden expects a frank exchange at his meeting with China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping. “We just have to find out where the red lines are – and what are the most important things for each of us in the next two years,” said Biden on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
“I know him well. He knows me,” Biden continued. “I spent more time with him than any other leader in the world,” the US president said, referring to his previous meetings with Xi Jinping when they were both vice presidents. “We always had open discussions.” There were “never any misunderstandings” between them. “I think that’s crucial for relations.”
Both presidents will meet on Monday for their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office almost two years ago. The meeting takes place ahead of the G20 summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.
China-US relations are at rock bottom. Controversial issues are China’s backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war, the ongoing trade war and sanctions against Chinese high-tech companies, China’s threats to democratic Taiwan and China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.
China accuses the US of wanting to hinder its rise in the world. The US, in turn, increasingly sees China as an economic rival and threat. At the meeting, Biden also wants to address the tug-of-war over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and its recent missile-testing provocations.
His national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he was looking for a “constructive role” for China in the conflict. If North Korea continues on this path, the US is only likely to increase its military and security presence in the region. China has a vested interest in curbing North Korea’s “worst tendencies.”
