It has been reported that U.S. and Chinese authorities have begun working-level preparations for a face-to-face meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next month.
A U.S. government official told the Washington Post on the 5th (local time), “It is certain that the (U.S.-China) summit will take place. “We have begun procedures to plan a meeting,” he said. Bloomberg News also reported, citing sources, that the U.S. and Chinese protocol teams have begun preliminary preparations in San Francisco, where the APEC summit is being held.
However, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Bloomberg News that “we are looking forward to the meeting, but nothing has been confirmed yet.” It is reported that whether the meeting will take place will be confirmed through discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to the United States at the end of this month.
If the US-China summit takes place, it will be the second face-to-face meeting with President Xi since President Biden took office. President Biden and President Xi, who met on the occasion of the G20 summit in November last year, had a tense confrontation over the North Korean nuclear and Taiwan issues, but exchanged perceptions on the ‘red line’ that both sides should not cross. and agreed to restore a working-level consultative body to resume cooperation between the United States and China.
There is analysis that this meeting could be an important opportunity for the two leaders to restore domestic political leadership. President Biden is facing a crisis due to stagnant approval ratings ahead of next year’s presidential election, and President Xi is in crisis due to the economic downturn and a series of fallouts from his associates after the inauguration of his third term. At this meeting, the United States is expected to resume cooperation in the military field and China is expected to put forward the easing of checks on China, such as semiconductor export controls, as key agenda items.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported on this day that the Biden administration is expected to soon announce additional semiconductor export restrictions to China. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) posted a document titled ‘Export Controls for Semiconductor Manufacturing Items, Modification of Entity List’ on its website the previous day, foreshadowing an announcement in the near future. The White House also plans to announce a plan to strengthen export regulations on artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, and is said to have notified China in advance of the plan to strengthen regulations.
Additionally, as the summit is being held ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election in January next year, issues such as stability in the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea dispute, North Korea-Russia arms trade, and the war in Ukraine are expected to be on the agenda. The United States has urged China to play a constructive role in response to violations of UN sanctions against North Korea due to North Korea-Russia arms trade.
Daniel Russell, former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told WP, “Both leaders are trying to avoid an international crisis that could interfere with domestic issues,” and added, “But as no one is willing to make substantive concessions, the effect of easing tensions will likely be temporary.” It was predicted that
Washington =
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.