United States President, Joe Biden will meet Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, face-to-face on Monday, November 14, 2022 for their first in-person encounter since Biden took office nearly two years ago in a meeting that could have long-lasting consequences for the world’s most important bilateral relationship.
The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, where world leaders are gathering to address pressing global issues from climate change to inflation and rising food prices.
The discussion offers a rare opportunity to improve communication between the two superpowers and deliberate what Biden has called the “red lines” for each side, amidst their soured relationship and an increasingly militarized standoff over Taiwan.
“We have very little misunderstanding. We just got to figure out where the red lines are and what are the most important things to each of us going into the next two years. His circumstance has changed, to state the obvious, at home.”
President Joe Biden
White House aides have repeatedly sought to belittle any thought of conflict between the two nations and have emphasized that they believe the two countries can work in tandem on shared challenges such as climate change and health security.
Meanwhile, ties between the United States and China have become increasingly strained during Biden’s presidency with Taiwan being the bone of contention.
As President Biden has repeatedly blamed China for human rights abuses against the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities, suppression of democracy activists in Hong Kong, coercive trade practices, military provocations against self-ruled Taiwan and differences over Russia’s prosecution of its war against Ukraine.
Chinese officials have largely avoided public criticism of Russia’s war, although Beijing has avoided direct support such as supplying arms.
Biden Makes Adequate Preparation
According to advisors, President Biden has been preparing extensively for his first in-person meeting with Chinese leader Xi, including rehearsing particular scenarios that could arise during the meeting.
With Xi in particular, Biden feels a special obligation to come as prepared as possible in the knowledge that US-China ties have a tremendous significance on the entire world.
Asked about the anticipated meeting, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian divulged last week at a news briefing that China was looking for “win-win cooperation with the U.S.” while reiterating Beijing’s concerns about the U.S. stance on Taiwan.
“The U.S. needs to stop obscuring, hollowing out and distorting the One China principle, abide by the basic norms in international relations, including respecting other countries’ sovereignty, territorial integrity and noninterference in other countries’ internal affairs.”
Zhao Lijian, Spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry
White House officials and their Chinese counterparts have spent weeks negotiating out all details of the meeting, which is taking place at The Mulia, a luxury beachside hotel on Nusa Dua bay in Bali, with translators providing simultaneous interpretation through headsets.
This is where the Chinese delegation is staying during the G20 summit. The Russian delegation and Australian delegation are also staying here. It’s about a 10-minute drive from the US delegation’s Grand Hyatt hotel.
Biden intends to deliver public remarks and take questions from reporters after his meeting with Xi.
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