Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his rival Joe Biden that he also wants to work with a future U.S. administration under Donald Trump.
Xi Jinping said at the start of a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Peruvian capital that relations between the two countries have experienced “ups and downs” over the past four years but have generally remained stable. Lima.
Trump and Xi Jinping are no strangers to each other.Image: trapezoid
The purpose, Xi Jinping continued, is to maintain communication between the two world powers, expand cooperation and overcome differences. The Chinese head of state said progress can only be made if the two countries treat each other like partners. However, if each sees the other as a competitor or adversary, it can undermine or even reverse the relationship.
Outgoing President Biden and Xi Jinping met face-to-face again for the first time in a year. Relations between the world's two largest economies have long been tense. The meeting was overshadowed by Trump, who will take office in January to succeed Democrat Joe Biden. Republicans announced far-reaching new tariffs on goods from China.
Biden emphasizes his legacy
Biden, who is coming to the end of a long political career, said he was proud of the progress he and Xi had made. Currently, the two militaries are communicating at all levels, and experts from the two countries are gathering together in the field of artificial intelligence and jointly combating drugs. The Lima meeting was the third and possibly final face-to-face meeting between Biden and Xi.
Biden said they didn't always see eye to eye, but the conversations were always open and honest. Discussions like the one in Peru avoid miscalculations and ensure that competition between our two countries does not turn into conflict. Biden stressed that this was competition, not conflict. “How we relate to each other has consequences for the rest of the world.”
Washington's delicate transition phase
Trump, who will take office in Washington in January, took a tough line against China during his first term from 2017 to 2021 and imposed massive punitive tariffs on goods from China. His successor Biden later maintained this policy. Biden has also cut off the Chinese economy from leading American technologies, such as in artificial intelligence chips, through export bans.
China has taken countermeasures such as export controls on important raw materials. Observers believe Beijing may now be better prepared for a potential intensification of the trade war between the two world powers if Trump follows through on his campaign promises.
According to the White House, Biden once again expressed concerns about “China's unfair trade policies” during his conversation with Xi Jinping. The United States will continue to take necessary measures to prevent American technology from being used to undermine the national security of the United States or its partners, but will not unduly restrict trade and investment.
China's support for Russia is a contentious issue
Another point of contention between the two countries is China's close relationship with Russia. The U.S. government has repeatedly accused Beijing of indirectly supporting Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. During a visit to Beijing this spring, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said China was the largest supplier of machine tools and other key goods used by Moscow’s defense industry. According to the White House, Biden once again expressed “deep concern about China's continued support of Russia's defense industry” during a phone call with Xi Jinping.
He also condemned the stationing of thousands of North Korean soldiers in Russia, describing it as “a dangerous expansion of Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, with serious consequences for peace and security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region.”
Biden meets with Taiwan representatives
During the APEC summit, Biden also met with Taiwan representative and former Economic Minister Lin Hsin-yi. During the conversation, he reportedly invited the U.S. president to visit Taiwan—probably much to China's annoyance. Beijing's Communist leadership considers the island part of its territory, even though an independent and democratically elected government has governed there for decades. China has long publicly threatened to use force to unify Taiwan with the mainland if necessary.
The White House said Biden also made it clear in his call with Xi that the United States continues to reject any changes to the status quo by either party. It is hoped that differences between countries on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can be resolved through peaceful means. Therefore, the US president also called on China to stop its destabilizing military actions around Taiwan.
Biden's position weakened
Biden and Xi met for the first time as presidents two years ago on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia. Since then, relations between the two countries have deteriorated sharply. The main reason for this was the appearance of a giant Chinese surveillance balloon over U.S. territory just weeks after the Bali meeting. A year ago, Biden and Xi Jinping met again and talked during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in California, USA.
Biden has little power now: his deputy, Kamala Harris, was a clear loser in the U.S. election a week and a half ago. Democrats also lost their Senate majority, while Republicans were able to defend their House majority. So not only is Biden leaving the White House, but his party no longer has much say at the federal level. (Sudanese Development Authority/Department of Political Affairs)
You may also be interested in:
Donald Trump's three wives have five children and a total of 10 grandchildren. Some of them were already politically active, others had previously remained in the background. One of them is already considered a future president.
Ivana Trump is a former model and the first wife of Donald Trump. She supports her husband’s senior role at the Trump Organization. Apparently he didn't like her confidence and success. She was divorced from Trump for 13 years and had three children after his affair with model and actress Marla Maples was discovered. She signed a nondisclosure agreement and received $14 million and several properties. According to reports, Ivana died after falling down the stairs in 2022. She is buried at Trump's golf course in Florida.
