The Biden-Xi meeting seen by the US media
Here's what happened in San Francisco between Biden and Xi in the main US media report.
They hadn't spoken to each other for a year, and yesterday – this morning according to Italian time – Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APec) Forum. In addition to agreeing on an all-out fight against the export of the opioid fentanyl to the US , the two leaders decided to restore direct communication channels between the two armies. But on trade and technology the distances remain sidereal. Here's what happened in San Francisco as reported by the main US media.
The meeting.
The bucolic Filoli residence, 50 km south of San Francisco, hosted the meeting between US President Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi last night, one year after the last face-to-face meeting held in November of the year last on the sidelines of the G20 in Bali.
As reported by the Associated Press , the two Presidents with their respective ministers of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Economy and National Security spoke for 4 hours while sitting around a long table.
The meeting was strongly supported by the United States, which for months courted the other side with high-profile visits to Beijing which, as CNN recalls, involved Secretary of State Blinken, National Security Advisor Sullivan, the Secretaries of Treasury and Trade Yellen and Raimondo and climate envoy Kerry.
Manage the bilateral relationship.
The main subject of the conversation between the two leaders was the way in which the two superpowers, as Biden underlined in words reported by Reuters , are called to "responsibly" manage the bilateral relationship, defined as "the most important in the world", avoiding that the competition between them “does not slip into conflict”.
The channels between armies.
Also for this reason, as well as to avoid the triggering of a conflict, it was decided to restore the direct communication channels between the two armies, so that, in the event of a crisis, "we can pick up the phone and call each other", the head of the White House emphasized.
It was therefore decided that Defense Secretary Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart as soon as he is appointed by the Party.
The Taiwan node.
The discussions obviously touched on the issue of Taiwan. Biden took the opportunity to reiterate that the US does not deviate from the traditional one-China policy, while his colleague confirmed Beijing's vision according to which "China will ultimately be reunified" with the annexation of the rebel island.
Fentanyl.
A tangible result brought home by Biden was the agreement to stem the export of fentanyl to the US, which has caused countless overdoses among Americans. An agreement that "will save lives", remarked Biden, appreciating Xi's "commitment" on the matter.
Friction points.
For his part, Xi underlined Beijing's opposition to the export and investment control measures imposed by the US which, according to him, amount to a "technological containment" which "has seriously damaged China's legitimate interests… We hope that the US side,” the President said, “can seriously address China's concerns and take action to remove unilateral sanctions and provide a fair, just and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses.”
However, Biden responded directly by explaining that America has no intention of providing Beijing with technology that can be used by its army.
The meeting with business executives.
But the real highlight of the event is the subsequent dinner organized in San Francisco by the US China Business Council and the National Committee on US China Relations, during which dozens of captains of industry had the opportunity to sit at the table and speak directly with Xi paying, according to Reuters, 40 thousand dollars.
“The purpose of the dinner is to promote better communication,” a source close to the organizers, who have maintained the strictest confidentiality about the participants, told Reuters .
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/lincontro-biden-xi-visto-dai-media-usa/ on Thu, 16 Nov 2023 08:08:54 +0000.