China and the United States are planning a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during his visit to China. Today is his last meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two men are meeting in Beijing for three consecutive days to discuss the difficult relationship between the two superpowers.
Biden and Xi want to sit down one last time
If Xi and Biden still want to meet, it will have to happen soon, because the new president will be sworn in in the US at the end of January. “It’s surprising that they still want to try it,” says China correspondent Anouk Eijneram. These kinds of visits usually take place after months of negotiations and are also announced in advance. “It also shows the haste with which China in particular is acting. Of course, they won’t know who will be in the White House, which is exciting.”
“The Chinese are worried about the possibility of Donald Trump being re-elected, because he would be an unpredictable partner,” Ejneram said. “And if it comes to Kamala Harris, that’s tough too, because they know he’s not going to have a very different policy toward China. They have a pretty good relationship with the Biden administration, so I think they’ll see what they can get out of it.”
The previous meeting between the two leaders took place in San Francisco, so it would be clear that Biden would travel to China this time. However, nothing has been revealed about the possible location of the meeting.
Taiwan
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan mainly discussed many foreign affairs topics with Wang Yi during his three-day visit. Eijnerm mentioned the wars in Israel and Ukraine, defense cooperation, the dire situation in the South China Sea, and the Taiwan issue. “Wang Yi said that America should stop arming Taiwan, and that this is an independent issue between China and Taiwan.”
Just yesterday, the US suggested it might join Philippine ships in the South China Sea to protect them from potential Chinese aggression. There have been several conflicts there between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months. “Beijing has responded as if it had been stung by a wasp,” Eijner said. “But America has a treaty with the Philippines that says they will come to their aid if they find themselves in a major conflict. So this is of course a signal to China to start acting.”
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