– Sombir Kaushik
In a recent meeting held between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco, the significance of this encounter is heightened by the fact that it marks the first visit of the Chinese president to the United States in 6 years. The world had its eyes on this meeting as the current superpower, the United States, and the emerging economic and military powerhouse, China, along with their respective leaders, faced each other.
President Biden declared the meeting a success, but the degree of its success is the subject of further discussion. Following the meeting, a press conference was held where President Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a dictator, eliciting a strong response from China.
When a journalist asked President Biden if he still stood by his comments made in June about President Xi Jinping being a dictator, Biden responded, “Look, they are dictators. I mean, they are in the sense that they run a country that is a communist country, which is fundamentally different from our democratic government.” In June, Biden had previously referred to Xi Jinping as a dictator amid tensions over issues like Taiwan.
Despite the verbal jousting, both countries reached important agreements during the meeting. Discussions covered high-level military communication, cooperation on issues like fentanyl and artificial intelligence, and appeals from the U.S. to China regarding its support for Iran in the Hamas-Israel conflict.
The meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping took place during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit. Despite the positive tone, concerns linger regarding the threat to Taiwan, especially given President Xi Jinping’s assurance that China has not engaged in conflict or seized foreign territory for over 70 years. However, President Biden expressed concerns about human rights violations in China, including in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
Turning attention to India, China is wary of India’s participation in the group, as evident in its reluctance to include India in the Asia-Pacific-focused APEC group. The Quad, comprising the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, is also gaining prominence, creating some tension in the Indo-Pacific region.
The question arises: how essential are China and the U.S. to each other? According to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the U.S. conducts nearly $700 billion in trade with China, making both nations economically interdependent. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasizes the economic interdependence of China and the U.S.
In a recent meeting between American lawmakers and President Xi Jinping in Beijing, the Chinese leader expressed the need to improve U.S.-China relations, citing a multitude of reasons for fostering better ties and warning against damaging them.
