Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will meet this Wednesday at a California ranch in hopes of stabilizing relations between the United States and China after a period of turbulence. However, the US president also hopes to discuss with his counterpart difficult issues such as trade, the economy, Beijing's growing relationship with Iran and human rights concerns.
The two leaders, who will meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific leaders' summit, last spoke a year ago. Since then, the already tense relations between the two economic superpowers have been further worsened by the United States' shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that had crossed the continental United States and by differences regarding the autonomous island of Taiwan, China's hacking of a Biden official's emails and other incidents.
The two leaders are in California for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, but will hold their one-on-one talks at the Filoli Estate, a country house and museum about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Francisco, according to three senior officials. administration officials. The officials requested anonymity to discuss the location, which had not yet been confirmed by the White House or the Chinese government due to tight security measures.
Both leaders seek to show the world that while the United States and China are economic competitors, they are not locked in a winner-take-all standoff with global implications. Their relationship has been increasingly defined by differences over export controls, Taiwan and conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.
Biden is expected to let Xi know that he would like China to use its influence over Iran to make clear that Tehran or its proxies should not take steps that could lead to the expansion of the war between Israel and Hamas. The Biden administration also views the Chinese, a major buyer of Iranian oil, as having considerable influence over Iran, which is a major backer of Hamas.
Biden on Tuesday presented the meeting as an opportunity to get Washington and Beijing “on a correspondingly normal course” again. But White House National Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden “is not going to be afraid to confront where confrontation is necessary on issues we disagree on.” "We are also not going to be afraid, nor should we be afraid, as a secure nation, to engage in diplomacy about ways we can cooperate with China, on climate change, for example, and clean energy technology," Kirby said.
Biden will focus on managing increasingly fierce economic competition from both countries and keeping lines of communication open to avoid misunderstandings that could lead to direct conflict between the two powers. While he is expected to defend the US expansion of export controls on semiconductor chips.
He will also assure Xi that the United States is not trying to wage an economic war with Beijing amid continuing signs that China's economy is struggling to recover from the disruptions of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Xi is seeking assurances from Biden that the United States will not support Taiwan independence, start a new Cold War or slow China's economic growth. He is also interested in showing the United States that China is still a good place to invest.
Even before their meeting, there were some signs of thawing: The State Department announced Tuesday that the United States and China, two of the world's biggest polluters, had agreed to efforts to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, through wind, solar and other renewable energy.
There are also hopes that some concrete agreements will emerge from the meeting, including the restoration of military-to-military communications that have largely been shut down since August 2022, and efforts to curb trafficking in illicit fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is consumed increasingly and is responsible for the epidemic of overdose deaths in the United States. Many of the chemicals used to make the drug come from China.
The APEC summit events have already attracted considerable demonstrations and more were expected this Wednesday, including protests against Xi and against profit-focused multinational corporations.
In the hours before the meeting, White House officials said Biden would come to the talks buoyed by signs that the U.S. economy is in a stronger position than China's and that the United States is building stronger alliances around the world. Peaceful.
The US president, speaking at a campaign fundraiser on Tuesday afternoon, pointed to his upcoming meeting as an example of how “reestablished American leadership in the world is taking hold.” As for China, the president told donors, he has "real problems."
The International Monetary Fund recently cut its growth forecasts for China, predicting economic growth of 5% this year and 4.2% in 2024, slightly below previous forecasts.
Beijing has released economic data showing falling prices due to a lack of demand from consumers and businesses. Meanwhile, Biden is proud to prove wrong many economists who predicted that millions of layoffs and a recession might be necessary to reduce inflation.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 3.2%, down from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. Meanwhile, employers continue to hire and the unemployment rate has remained below 4% for almost two years.
Xi, after his meeting with Biden, will address American business executives at a $2,000-a-plate dinner that will be a rare opportunity for American business leaders to hear directly from the Chinese leader as they seek clarification on Beijing's increasing security standards. that can suffocate foreign investment.
Foreign companies operating in China say tensions with Washington over technology, trade and other issues and uncertainty over Chinese policies are damaging the business environment and causing some to reevaluate their plans to invest in the giant market.
A senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters before the meeting said one of the main reasons Xi decided to travel to the United States was to send a message to American CEOs that China is still a good place to invest. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that during a recent visit to Beijing, he and other lawmakers raised directly with Xi that he could bolster China's reputation in the United States and around the world by taking steps to stop the flow of chemicals used to produce fentanyl.
"He is said to be very concerned about the negative opinion of China in the United States," Schumer said. “And I told him that nothing could do more to improve China's image in the United States a little more than stopping the flow of fentanyl.”
