(VOVWORLD) - US President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday within the framework of the ongoing APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco. The meeting is of great importance for the two superpowers to stabilize their turbulent relationship and move toward a future of responsible competition.
 US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a meeting ahead of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia on November 14, 2022 (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
This is the second face-to-face meeting between President Biden and President Xi. Their first meeting was at the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. Given the current state of US-China relations, characterized as one of the most arduous periods in recent decades, it is hoped that the meeting in San Francisco will help the two countries reduce tensions, stabilize relations, and build a new approach to responsible management of their relationship, which holds substantial importance for the global community.
Preventing conflict
One year after the meeting in Bali, tensions persist in US-China relations. The Biden administration has increased export restrictions, particularly targeting high-tech items like semiconductor chips, and established a more rigorous control framework for investment by American companies in China. In retaliation, China has enacted restrictive measures against certain US companies and imposed export controls on critical materials in the technology sector.
The hot air balloon incident earlier this year caused high-level contacts between the two countries to freeze for a long time. Then, disputes over the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the security environment in East Asia, and competition for influence in the South Pacific gradually pushed US-China relations closer to a confrontation.
Officials from both nations recognized the danger of this trajectory, and initiated several attempts to de-escalate tensions. Since the summer, a succession of senior US figures—including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo—have visited China. In October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a trip to the United States.
 US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (Photo: Getty Image) |
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said: "There will be inevitably things arise that are unanticipated and there will be turbulence and whatever the cause it is, the question is can we create the line of communications and broad parameter of the relationship so that through whatever comes, we can manage competition responsibly so it does not veer toward conflict."
Seeking cooperation
The heightened diplomatic efforts of recent months are yielding results, evident in recent indications from the US and China that there is still a potential for cooperation. Treasury Secretary Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met this week just ahead of the meeting between President Biden and President Xi. They agreed to stay in communication, collaborate in responding to global challenges like climate change and the debts of developing countries, and foster an equitable business environment in both nations for foreign companies.
Last week, direct commercial flights were restarted between the US and China, restoring air travel to its pre-COVID-19 level. China attended the inaugural Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit on November 8 in the UK, and endorsed the Bletchley Declaration on AI Safety put forth by Western countries. According to former Deputy Foreign Minister Fu Ying, these developments suggest that the upcoming meeting between President Biden and President Xi will substantively stabilize US-China relations.
Fu Ying said: "I'm glad that the two leaders are going to meet in San Francisco and there's very high expectation. I hope they will live up to the expectation of the whole world, find the ways to have candid dialogues about each other and to stabilize the relationship so that they can turn around the focus on the real issues in the world."
According to the White House, President Biden aims to achieve specific outcomes in his meeting with President Xi, including clarifying the notion of “intense yet responsible competition”, reinstating defense communications, and addressing the management of artificial intelligence. Also high on the agenda of the meeting will be the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and security on the Korean peninsula.