CNA Explains: How crucial was the Xi Jinping-Joe Biden meet, and what does it mean for US-China ties?

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What next for China, US and the rest of the world?

Beijing’s main expectations for the talks was for more stability in US-China ties, and more concrete actions from Washington to improve relations, said Prof Zhu.

Zhang Yang, an assistant professor at American University’s School of International Service, told the AP that symbolically, Xi also wanted to signal to the Chinese people that Biden respects him and that he’s been handling their relationship well.

In a solo news conference after their meeting, Biden said he stood by his view that Xi was a dictator “in the sense” of the Chinese President running a communist country “based on a form of government different” than the US’. 

A similar reference in June sparked fury from Beijing, though there was no immediate reaction from the Chinese delegation in San Francisco.

“The overall relationship is still very difficult and tense due to structural problems and lack of mutual trust,” said Prof Zhu. But he was “cautiously optimistic” that things would slightly improve after the summit.

“There are many areas that both sides can work together on, despite the differences,” he added, calling for pragmatism and a focus on common interests in the likes of climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, trade and global health.

On Thursday however Xi and Biden remained far apart on the long-running flashpoint of Taiwan, with their rhetoric unmoving from recent spats.

US officials said the two leaders had a substantial but “clear-headed” back and forth over the island which China claims sovereignty over. 

Biden reportedly asked Xi to “respect” elections in Taiwan next year, while Xi said China had no plans to invade in coming years. He also told Biden that peaceful reunification was “unstoppable”.

“Look, peace is … all well and good but at some point we need to move towards resolution more generally,” said Xi, according to US officials.

Prof Zhu said both sides would be careful not to come across as interfering in Taiwan’s 2024 polls.

“They will have to wait until the election outcome is out, and see who will be the winner, and then perhaps they will decide whether they will adjust policy towards Taiwan,” he said.

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After year-long gap, Biden and Xi meet to discuss US-China ties, economy

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WOODSIDE, California: US President Joe Biden met Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time in a year on Wednesday for talks that may ease friction between the two superpowers over military conflicts, drug-trafficking and artificial intelligence.

Biden welcomed the Chinese leader at the Filoli estate, a country house and gardens about 48km south of San Francisco, where they will move later for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

In opening remarks, Biden said the US and China had to ensure that competition between them “does not veer into conflict” and manage their relationship “responsibly”. He said issues such as climate change, counter-narcotics and AI demanded their joint attention.

Xi responded by saying that “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed”.

Xi told Biden a lot had happened since their last meeting a year ago in Bali. “The world has emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, but is still under its tremendous impacts. The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish.”

He called the US-China relationship “the most important bilateral relationship in the world”, and said he and Biden “shoulder heavy responsibilities for the two peoples, for the world, and for history”.

“For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option,” he said. “It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.”

The leaders will be seeking to reduce friction but deep progress on the vast differences separating them may have to wait for another day.

Biden and Xi will discuss a host of issues where the countries are on opposing sides including Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea and human rights.

Leaders from the 21-country group APEC – and hundreds of CEOs in San Francisco to court them – are meeting amid relative Chinese economic weakness, Beijing’s territorial feuds with neighbors and a Middle East conflict that is dividing the United States from allies.

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After year-long gap, Biden meets Xi and hails ‘real progress’

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DIRECT DIPLOMACY

Experts say Xi will be looking for a smooth summit with Biden to show those at home concerned about the economy and dwindling foreign investment that he can successfully handle relations between the world’s two largest economies.

Efforts to carefully choreograph his visit may be upended in San Francisco despite efforts to drive homeless people from the streets. Xi’s route from the airport to the conference site on Tuesday was lined with demonstrators for and against China’s ruling Communist Party, an unusual sight for the leader, who last visited the United States in 2017.

Biden has sought direct diplomacy with Xi, betting that a personal relationship he has cultivated for a dozen years with the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong might salvage ties that have turned increasingly hostile.

Chong Ja Ian, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore, said the two sides are engaged in what Mao referred to during China’s civil war as “talk and fight, fight and talk”.

“That is, to talk while building up forces,” Chong said.

Biden is expected to press Xi to use his influence to urge Iran to avoid action that could spread the Israel-Hamas conflict across the Middle East.

He is also expected to raise alleged Chinese operations to influence foreign elections and human rights, including US citizens Washington believes are wrongly detained in China.

US officials expect concrete steps to restore staff-level conversations between the countries on issues from military-to-military communications, to reducing the flow of fentanyl, managing artificial intelligence, and on trade and climate.

Many of the chemicals used to make fentanyl, a scourge in the US, come from China, US officials say.

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