“China agrees to track companies producing fentanyl precursor chemicals”
“We also discussed the Middle East crisis… Biden expresses his opposition to ‘increasing tensions with Iran'”
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to resume high-level military dialogue between the two countries, which had been suspended following the Taiwan conflict.
Local media such as CNN reported this on the 15th (local time), citing high-ranking U.S. officials after the end of the U.S.-China summit. President Biden held his second summit meeting with President Xi since his inauguration for four hours starting at 11:25 a.m. on this day at the Pairoli Garden in San Francisco, California.
The resumption of high-level military dialogue between the United States and China is an issue that the Biden administration was hoping to achieve from this summit. Previously, when former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year, China strongly protested and unilaterally suspended high-level military talks with the US.
Since then, the relationship between the two countries, which had cooled this year due to Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s visit to China, has gradually shown signs of thawing. However, while China has responded to high-level diplomatic and economic dialogue, it has not responded to high-level military dialogue.
China recently held the Xiangshan Forum, the so-called ‘Chinese version of the Shangri-La Dialogue’, in the vacant position of defense chief following the dismissal of former Defense Minister Li Shangfu. At the forum, Xanthi Karas, China Affairs Director of the U.S. Undersecretary of Defense’s Office, attended, raising expectations for the resumption of military dialogue between the two countries.
At the meeting on this day, there was also discussion about fentanyl, which has emerged as a serious problem in the United States for several years. China is considered a major producer of the precursor chemicals for fentanyl, the so-called ‘zombie drug’, and the United States has openly expected China to cooperate in this regard.
Citing a senior U.S. official, CNN reported today that China has agreed to track companies that produce fentanyl precursor chemicals in the future. The Biden administration is said to plan to closely watch whether China complies with the agreement after this meeting.
The U.S. media reported that President Biden and President Xi also reached an agreement on the field of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is one of the cutting-edge technologies that the United States manages with great care, including restrictions on investment in China. Xinhua News Agency also reported that the two leaders reached an agreement regarding the AI field.
The meeting also appears to have discussed the Middle East crisis, which began with attacks on southern Israel by the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. President Biden is said to have conveyed to President Xi his view that Iran should not take actions that would cause further tension in the Middle East situation.
The issue of Taiwan, which China considers sensitive, appears to have also been put on the agenda, and President Xi is said to have told President Biden that military action against Taiwan will not take place within the next few years. However, he also made it clear that the United States should not support Taiwanese independence.
The two leaders also appear to have had conversations about technology, the economy, and China’s rapidly increasing nuclear warhead reserves. CNN reported that President Biden also conveyed concerns to President Xi, including restrictions on American companies operating in China.
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.