[APEC 정상회의]
Biden: “Most constructive discussion so far”
Xi Jinping: “Taiwan is the most sensitive issue”
U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping decided to fully resume military communication channels between the U.S. and China at a summit meeting on the 15th (local time). It was decided to restore the U.S.-China relationship, which was at its worst, to the state it was in before former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August last year. The U.S. and China have agreed to cooperate in responding to fentanyl, which is called a ‘zombie drug,’ and developing artificial intelligence (AI).
President Biden said this in a press conference after a four-hour meeting with President Xi in Woodside, California, saying, “We had the most constructive and productive discussion we have had so far.” Regarding the results of the meeting, the White House said, “We decided to resume high-level military communication, U.S.-China defense policy coordination consultations, military-maritime council meetings, and phone calls with each military commander.”
In response to concerns that China may invade Taiwan for annexation, President Xi said at the meeting, “I have heard American media reports about what kind of military action China is planning in 2027 or 2035,” and “there are no such plans.” . This means that there are no plans to invade Taiwan within a few years. However, President Xi said, “The Taiwan issue is still the most important and sensitive issue in China-US relations,” and added, “China will realize unification, and this cannot be prevented,” according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.
President Yoon Seok-yeol, who visited San Francisco, USA, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, made last-minute arrangements for a summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on the 16th (local time).
Biden: “Substantial progress has been made”… Xi Jinping: “The future of bilateral relations is bright”
“I forgot” to “Happy Birthday Wife”
“Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” vs. “Listening to North Korea’s concerns”
U.S. President Joe Biden (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) are holding a summit meeting with key officials from both countries at Piloli Estate in Woodside, California, U.S. on the 15th (local time). To President Xi’s right was Wang Yi, a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to President Biden’s left was U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken. Woodside = AP NewsisFiloli Estate, a private estate in Woodside, California, USA, on the afternoon of the 15th (local time). U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping went for a walk without an interpreter after completing a four-hour meeting. In response to a reporter’s question, ‘How are the talks going?’, President Biden said, “It’s going well” and gave a thumbs up with both hands.
President Biden emphasized that day, “We have made substantial progress today,” and President Xi also said, “The future of China-US relations is bright.” It revealed the will to lead the relationship between the two countries, where conflict has been heightened due to fierce competition for hegemony, to a full-fledged stabilization stage. Nevertheless, President Xi reaffirmed the gap that is difficult to narrow on key issues, such as mentioning the possibility of military unification of Taiwan.
President Biden and President Xi emphasized the stabilization of relations with one voice that day. In his opening remarks at the meeting, President Biden said, “It is more important than anything to understand each other well without misunderstanding,” and “We must ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict.” President Xi responded, “Conflict and confrontation will bring unbearable consequences to both sides.”
After the meeting, the United States and China announced an agreement in four areas, including restoration of military communication channels, crackdown on fentanyl, dialogue on artificial intelligence (AI) regulation, and expansion of U.S.-China exchanges, through a press release without a joint press conference or joint statement.
The United States and China agreed to hold a defense ministerial meeting as soon as their Chinese counterparts are appointed. It was decided to resume all military-maritime consultative body meetings to prevent conflicts in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, as well as U.S.-China defense policy coordination discussions and phone calls between military commanders. A senior Biden administration official said, “We will be able to create a mechanism to respond to misjudgments and mistakes and a forum for both sides to air their respective concerns.”
The two leaders expressed their closeness throughout the meeting, including mentioning their 12-year friendship when they first met when they were “second in command.” “We have known each other for a long time,” President Biden said. In response, President Xi said, “I remember when you visited China (in 2011 as vice president) when (I) was vice president,” adding, “It was 12 years ago, but it is still vivid.”
On this day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying posted a photo of President Biden smiling broadly while showing his cell phone to President Xi on social media. When President Biden was in his early 30s and visited China in 1985, President Xi showed him a photo taken with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in the background and asked, “Do you know this young man?” President Xi responded, “Oh! right. He also shared an anecdote saying he was happy to see it, “38 years ago.”
At the end of the meeting, President Biden said to President Xi, “Congratulations on your birthday, wife.” He and President Xi’s wife, Mrs. Peng Liyuan (彭麗媛), share the same birthday, which is November 20. President Xi said, “I was so busy working that I forgot. “Thank you for reminding us,” a U.S. government official said.
Despite the cordial atmosphere, clear differences of opinion were revealed on key issues such as the Taiwan issue, the Israel and Ukraine situations, and the North Korean nuclear issue.
At the meeting on this day, President Xi directly refuted the ‘2027 Taiwan invasion theory’ raised by former US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and others, and announced that he had no plans to undertake large-scale military action against Taiwan in the next few years. However, a senior U.S. government official explained that the principle of possible use of force against Taiwan was mentioned. When President Biden said, “The United States is determined to maintain peace and stability (in the Taiwan Strait),” President Xi said, “Peace is good, but at some point we have to move toward a more general solution.” He is interpreted as implying that he will not give up the option of military unification of Taiwan.
The two leaders also revealed differences in the North Korean nuclear issue. The White House said in a press release, “President Biden emphasized the United States’ commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” but President Xi said, “All parties must listen to North Korea’s legitimate concerns,” China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. . It supports North Korea’s claim that nuclear and missile development is due to security cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan.
Regarding the U.S. semiconductor export and investment regulations, President Xi said, “It is important for the U.S. to take China’s concerns seriously and take tangible steps to provide an equal, fair, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies by lifting unilateral sanctions.”
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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.