(Nusa Dua) Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met on Monday for a much-anticipated face-to-face meeting, thanks to which the US president told his Chinese counterpart that a “clash” between them could be avoided. and Washington.
Posted at 6:31 am.
Updated at 8:59 am
After the handshake between the two leaders, Joe Biden said he wanted to “manage the differences and prevent the rivalry from turning into a confrontation.”
Xi Jinping said he was ready for “genuine” dialogue on strategic issues as the two countries “must find the right direction”.
The leaders of the two rival powers are due to hold a lengthy meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali ahead of the G20 summit, which brings together the world’s biggest economies, for the first time since Joe Biden became president.
Vladimir Putin’s absence from this international gathering puts even more focus on the Chinese president, at the height of his power after receiving his third historic mandate, nine months after the war in Ukraine began. It was his second foreign trip since the pandemic began, following a visit to Central Asia in September.
Over the past three years, competition between the world’s two largest economies has intensified as China has grown in power and assertiveness to challenge US leadership and geopolitical play since the end of World War II.
Monday’s meeting on the sidelines of the White House G20 smacks of the Cold War and the need for the two countries to establish “red lines” of “security” and avoid engaging in conflict, a White House official said.
Photo by Alex Brandon, Associated Press
Xi Jinping and Joe Biden
The two leaders have spoken by phone or video five times since Joe Biden entered the White House, but never face-to-face, and have known each other since 2017.
China said on Monday it hoped the talks would put bilateral relations back “on track”.
“We hope the United States will join China in properly managing our differences and promoting mutually beneficial cooperation,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning.
In addition to China’s refusal to condemn the Russian invasion, Washington and Beijing have been at odds over issues ranging from trade to human rights in China’s Xinjiang region to Taiwan’s status.
Joe Biden in particular wants Beijing to use its influence to moderate North Korea, which has launched a record series of ballistic missiles and appears poised to lead 7.e nuclear test in its history.
But Xi Jinping may not be ready to show understanding, and the meeting should set the tone for the G20 summit on Tuesday and Wednesday. If Ukraine is not officially on the agenda, the war launched by Russia and its consequences on food and energy markets will be in the background of all negotiations.
Bootin’ is not clear
The Russian president, represented by his diplomatic chief Sergei Lavrov, did not attend the meeting as the Russian army retreats in southern Ukraine.
Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV, Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be able to plead his case live via video conference.
At the very least, Joe Biden and his allies want to get a clear message from the summit to Vladimir Putin that a nuclear conflict is unacceptable. Russian opposition and Beijing’s refusal to budge from Russia’s position or concede to Washington would block any general talks.
Indonesia, the host of the summit, has already warned that there is no need to expect a traditional final joint statement that concludes such a meeting.
During a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the Indonesian president called for “flexibility” to get the Europeans and the G7 agreement. “I want a concrete outcome from the G20 that the world has been waiting for” and “your support will once again be greatly appreciated,” Joko Widodo said in a statement.
Russia is expected to press for an extension of a deal allowing grain and fertilizer exports through Black Sea ports, long blocked by the war in Ukraine, which expires on November 19.
