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Joe Biden and Xi Jinping defended this Monday at the start of the G20 meeting the need to avoid conflict and better manage relations between the two powers during their first personal meeting as leaders.
After years of escalating economic and geopolitical tensions, the rulers of the world’s two largest economies have shaken hands as they begin their meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali, on the eve of the G20 leaders’ summit.
“We have to find the right direction” in relations, said Xi Jinping, who said he was willing to have a “frank” exchange with Biden on strategic issues.
“The world has reached a crossroads” and “hopes that China and the United States will properly manage their relationship,” the Chinese leader said.
For his part, Biden showed his willingness to “manage differences to prevent competition from becoming a conflict.”
In addition, he stressed the importance of meeting in person after up to five phone or videoconference conversations since his arrival at the White House in January 2021 and vowed to “keep the lines of communication open.
The US president is expected to reiterate the importance of peace and free movement in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. For Beijing, “one China” means the island’s eventual reunification with mainland China, and US officials are barred from meeting Taipei’s leadership, reports our Beijing correspondent Stephane Lagarde.
For Washington, the recent activities of the People’s Liberation Army in the Taiwan Strait constitute a breach of the status quo and a threat to peace and stability. One must also remember, says our US correspondent Loubna Anaki, that Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island a few months ago angered the Chinese.
Trade war and North Korea
On the geopolitical front, there is the North Korean issue and the Pyongyang provocations. Although Beijing opposes a new nuclear test by Pyongyang, Chinese diplomacy has refused to strengthen sanctions against the North Korean regime after the recent missile launches. Here too, Joe Biden will remember that if the regime persists in its bellicose attitude, the United States will have no choice but to strengthen its military presence in the region, which is fiercely opposed by Beijing. It goes without saying that the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the world economy will also be discussed.
Less publicized, but just as crucial, the trade war between the two rivals cannot be avoided. The latest episode is Washington’s ban on exporting high-end chips and the technologies used to make them. A decision with disastrous consequences for Chinese technology.
The question now is whether the two presidents will stick to their strategic rivalry or make minimal concessions.