Is a meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping in sight?

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has begun a rare visit to Washington, expressing hope for an end to recent unrest between the world's two largest economies .

The visit could help stabilize US-China relations by setting the stage for a summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

Appearing before the media alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the US State Department on October 26 before the start of the closed-door meeting, Mr. Wang called for dialogue to restore “healthy” relations with the US.

Standing next to his US counterpart, China's top diplomat said the two countries have disagreements and differences, but at the same time share important common interests and challenges that the two sides need to solve together.

“Therefore, China and the United States need to have dialogue. We should not only resume dialogue, but also have in-depth and comprehensive dialogue so that the two sides can enhance mutual understanding, reduce misunderstandings and misjudgments, constantly seek to expand common ground and pursue win-win cooperation,” Wang was quoted as saying by China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Foreign Minister Wang also said that the dialogue would expand cooperation and put bilateral relations back on a “path of healthy, stable and sustainable development.” In response, Mr. Blinken said: “I agree with what the Chinese Foreign Minister said.”

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meet in Washington DC, October 26, 2023. Photo: CNN

More formal talks and a dinner are scheduled for later on October 26 (local time) between Mr. Wang and Mr. Blinken. On October 27, Mr. Wang will hold talks with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan at the White House.

Although there is no official information about the meeting between the Chinese Foreign Minister and US President Biden, this meeting is possible after Chinese President Xi Jinping received US Secretary of State Blinken in Beijing in June.

What is America hoping for?

Ahead of Mr. Wang’s arrival, U.S. officials said they would stress to China’s foreign minister the importance of Beijing elevating its role on the world stage if it wants to be seen as a responsible major international player.

US officials believe China has significant influence with Iran, a major backer of Hamas. “China should use whatever capacity it has as an influential power to promote calm” in the Middle East, said State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

Policy analysts in China and the United States say both sides have a shared interest in preventing a broader war in the Middle East and that China, as a major oil buyer, can exert significant influence over Iran.

“The Chinese certainly have an interest in preventing a direct confrontation between the US and Iran, because they are major oil consumers and that would send prices soaring,” said Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East program at the Washington DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“However, the Chinese are unlikely to make any heavy-handed moves here. I think they will want a seat at the table when the Israel-Hamas conflict is resolved,” Alterman said.

China's top diplomat Wang Yi attends a meeting with senior officials from Iran and Saudi Arabia in Beijing, March 10, 2023. China has successfully brokered a normalization of relations between the two hostile Middle Eastern powers. Photo: CNN

Beijing's influence over Iran is "almost the only serious and realistic expectation the US has of China regarding the Middle East situation," said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China.

However, Professor Shi added: “The US stance on Iran is not acceptable to China and vice versa. Mutual compromise on this issue may be so limited and small that it is meaningless.”

The US also hopes that Mr. Wang’s visit to Washington will be a “preparatory” trip that paves the way for a direct meeting between Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi when the Chinese leader attends the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November in San Francisco.

A series of disagreements

The last time the Chinese president visited the US was in 2017, when former President Donald Trump hosted him at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Biden, who takes over the White House in 2021, has yet to host Xi on US soil.

Neither side has confirmed whether the two leaders will meet during the APEC summit , but if it happens, it will be the first face-to-face meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Xi since the G20 summit in Indonesia last November.

“Mr. Wang’s meetings in Washington will set the tone for what the two leaders will discuss when they meet next month,” said Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, DC-based think tank.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden shake hands during talks on November 14, 2022, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. Photo: Getty Images

Ms. Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, another Washington DC think tank, said Mr. Wang’s trip signals that a summit between Mr. Xi and Mr. Biden is almost certain.

“The APEC summit is only about 20 days away, so time is of the essence. Wang’s trip means Xi will come. Xi will come, which means he will meet Biden. The summit between the two leaders means an effort to stabilize bilateral relations.”

US-China relations began to fray in 2018 when the Trump administration imposed heavy tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Bilateral relations have worsened over a range of issues, from Taiwan and the South China Sea to technology, investment and the Covid-19 pandemic.

US President Joe Biden meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the White House, in Washington DC, November 15, 2021. Photo: Getty Images

Taiwan remains the most contentious issue in US-China relations. The Biden administration has increased military support for Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to unify.

Washington has also tightened restrictions on chip exports to China and imposed sanctions targeting Chinese individuals accused of supporting Iran's drone program and producing chemicals that create fentanyl, an addictive painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

In a bid to counter China in the region, Mr Biden has also formed a new trilateral military alliance with Australia and the UK, known as AUKUS, and has pushed for an informal grouping called the “Quad” with Australia, India and Japan .

Minh Duc (According to AP, DW, Reuters, Xinhua)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/cuoc-gap-giua-ong-biden-va-ong-tap-can-binh-da-o-trong-tam-mat-a633038.html