Biden and Xi meeting a baby step toward stability
On November 16 and 17, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation met in San Francisco to hold meetings on a wide variety of subjects. According to its website, APEC’s 21 country members “aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth, and by accelerating regional economic integration.” U.S. officials participated in these meetings, but they were overshadowed by the much-anticipated, private meeting in the San Francisco Bay Area on November 16 between President Joe Biden and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, who were both in attendance at the APEC summit. After meeting with Xi, Biden held a private meeting with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan.
I find it amazing that within the last 78 years, Japan has gone from an enemy to being the strongest ally the U.S. has in Asia. During this same time frame, China has gone from an ally to one of the biggest adversaries of the U.S. Biden’s meeting with Xi was extremely important, as the two largest economic and military superpowers have been at each other’s throats for the past several years, and are currently in a trade war in which both countries have slapped steep tariffs on each other’s imports. The U.S. has been supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia, while China has been supporting Russia. The situation has deteriorated to the point that the two countries have ceased having their militaries communicate with each other, which could result in misunderstandings and disaster.
The results of the Biden-Xi meeting can be compared to baby steps, with agreements to collaborate in certain areas and to communicate in others. Xi came into the meeting with the Chinese economy experiencing growth problems, exacerbated by a debt crisis in its property market, rising unemployment and seeing many companies operating in China reshoring their operations to North America. It appears that these issues, combined with the threat of military conflict between the two nations, made Xi more amenable to talk. The two leaders agreed to cooperate on combating the production and trafficking of illegal drugs such as fentanyl.
Thankfully, both leaders agreed to resume military communications, which will undoubtedly make the world safer. Both leaders also agreed to work on efforts to slow climate change. They agreed to address the risks of AI and improve safety in this area. Biden also asked Xi to put pressure on Iran not to widen Israel’s war with Hamas.
Encouragingly, both leaders stated their intention of having their countries live together peacefully. Biden summed up the high-stakes meeting by stating, “We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict. And we also have to manage it responsibly.”
After the Biden meeting, Xi spoke at a dinner of more than 300 businesspeople and officials in San Francisco, where the goal was to reassure investors of China’s pro-business stance and to encourage new investment there. At the dinner, Xi said all the right things to reassure the guests. According to Xi, “For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides.”
After his meeting with Xi, Biden met with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, also in San Francisco. The tone of the meeting in the press release issued afterwards greatly contrasted with Biden’s meeting with XI, and the friendship between the two countries oozed out in the message. Both leaders condemned Hamas and its attack on Israel, while vowing to continue to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s invasion. They emphasized the importance of maintaining stability and peace in key Asian regions such as the Korean Peninsula, the Taiwan Strait and the South China and East China seas. They went as far as to announce that they will continue to coordinate on their China diplomacy strategy, and to continue to maintain close cooperation with South Korea.
It is clear that the U.S.Japanese joint statement on the Biden-Fumio meeting was a strong message to China that the U.S. and its Asian allies are steadfast in standing together to ensure peace and stability in Asia, while cooperating on global geopolitical issues. With the rise of China, Japan and Korea have become even more important to the U.S. as trading partners and allies against Chinese aggression.
As for China and its willingness to truly cooperate with the U.S. to de-escalate explosive situations and the negative rhetoric, it remains to be seen. If Xi is earnest, China needs to put its money where its mouth is and stop supporting criminal acts like Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and genuinely cooperate with the U.S. on trade issues. At his dinner with the 300 businesspeople and officials, Xi stated, “Are we adversaries or partners? China is ready to be a partner and friend of the United States.” To answer Xi’s question above, at present it appears that China is more of an enemy, but with solid communication and collaboration, it can move toward being a friend.