Biden meets Xi Jinping in San Francisco

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their second one-on-one meeting to normalize the two countries’ relations on Wednesday (local time) in San Francisco. Greeting the Chinese leader who visited the United States for the first time in six years and seven months, President Biden proposed to restore military communication channels as one of the key agendas that would make the summit successful. Prior to the summit talk, the pair issued a joint statement to take climate action, showing commitment to resolve supranational issues.

However, many experts have low expectations of any step forward to addressing global issues, including the Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine war, arms transactions between Pyongyang and Moscow, and disputes around the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Each of the leaders chose to be on good terms temporarily in their interests – Biden is considering next year’s presidential election, and Xi is seeking to alleviate social discontent, according to critics. Some even assess that this meeting is one of the summit talks least likely to have practical results.

President Biden greeted President Xi, who returned to the United States after six years and seven months on the occasion of the APEC meeting held on Wednesday morning. Afterward, he sat down for his second summit with the Chinese leader since he took office.

Right before heading to San Francisco on Tuesday, President Biden said that the success of the upcoming summit depends on whether the two states could restore normal communication lines, adding that the aim is to make a call to talk to each other and stay in touch at the military level in the event of a crisis. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby commented that the negotiating table is already set up, saying that Washington will not hesitate to cooperate in particular fields if necessary although it competes with Beijing overall.

They decided not to issue a joint statement following the meeting. However, it was reported that they agreed to restore military communication channels and launch a working group to crack down on fentanyl, a.k.a. zombie drug.


weappon@donga.com