Virtual summit: China and the USA seek dialogue

China’s head of state and party leader Xi and US President Biden are meeting today for a virtual summit. Relations between the world’s two largest economies are at a rock bottom.

The list of conflicts between the two great superpowers is long. Both sides argue over economic and trade issues, human rights, the de facto end of Hong Kong’s autonomy and China’s threats of war against Taiwan.

In this respect, it is already considered a success that the virtual meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden even came about. Both governments are trying to keep expectations low. China’s government spokeswoman Hua Chunying called the video channel simply an “exchange of views on Sino-American relations”.

A slight approach would be successful

US government spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that Biden and Xi would discuss “how competition between the US and China can be managed responsibly”. They want to work with China where they have common interests.

In the opinion of political observers, the virtual summit would already be a success if China and the USA could get closer in the trade conflict that has been simmering for years. A convergence would also be conceivable with the slow issuing of visas for students from the other country.

The video conversation between Xi and Biden begins late in the evening. Xi and Biden have never met personally since moving to the White House. China’s leadership largely closed the People’s Republic’s borders 19 months ago. Xi has not left China since then and has not received any foreign guests.