US and Chinese Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping spoke at length on the night of Monday, November 15 to Tuesday, November 16, during a highly anticipated videoconference summit, without settling any of their disputes.
On the question of Taiwan, in particular, which China sees as a rebellious province to return to its fold, the two leaders remained in their positions. Mr. Biden warned Mr. Xi that the United States “Oppose[aient] firmly “ at any attempt “Unilateral to change the status quo or undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”, according to a text published by the White House after the meeting, which lasted about three and a half hours.
Xi advised the United States to “Do not play with fire” about the island.
“The Taiwanese authorities have repeatedly tried to rely on the United States for their independence and some in the United States are trying to use Taiwan to control China. “
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Mr. Biden also expressed his “Concerns about practices [de la Chine] in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, and human rights in general ”. He also criticized trade and economic practices deemed “Unfair” from China. These statements contrast somewhat with the kindness displayed at the start of the meeting.
Washington-Beijing relations remain strained
In his opening statements, Mr. Biden considered that “The competition between the two countries should not turn into a conflict, whether intentional or not”.
“China and the United States must improve their communication and cooperation”, said Mr. Xi, saying he was happy to see “His old friend”, for the first time by interposed screens, whereas their two previous exchanges had been made by telephone.
But in Washington as in Beijing, we wanted to temper the expectations raised by this discussion. While the tone changed following the outbursts of the Trump era following Mr. Biden’s rise to power, relations between Washington and Beijing remain extremely strained.
This videoconference meeting took place as Xi Jinping continues to strengthen his grip on the regime. The Chinese Communist Party passed a text last week calling for “The whole Party, army and people to unite more closely around the central committee, of which Xi Jinping forms the heart”.
The US president, faced with an extremely divided political landscape and a pandemic he is struggling to eradicate, mentioned China on Monday by promulgating a gigantic infrastructure plan, supposed to allow America to “To win the competition” of the XXIe century.
At the end of his speech, the American president repeated one of his favorite phrases:
“It’s never, never a good idea to bet against the American people. “