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Joe Biden’s suggestion of summit with Xi Jinping falls on deaf ears

US-China relations updates

Joe Biden steered he maintain a face-to-face summit with Chinese language president Xi Jinping throughout a 90-minute name final week however did not safe an settlement from his counterpart, main some US officers to conclude that Beijing is constant to play hardball with Washington.

The US president proposed to Xi that the leaders maintain the summit in an effort to interrupt an deadlock in US-China relations, however a number of individuals briefed on the decision stated the Chinese language chief didn’t take him up on the supply and as an alternative insisted Washington undertake a much less strident tone in direction of Beijing.

The White Home had portrayed the call — which occurred at Biden’s request seven months after their first phone dialog — as an opportunity to check if Xi was prepared to have interaction critically after a number of diplomatic conferences between US and Chinese language officers garnered little progress.

5 individuals briefed on the decision stated that whereas Xi had used less abrasive language than his prime diplomats had finished this yr, his general message to Biden was that the US should tone down its rhetoric.

Biden has taken a harsh line on China, criticising its therapy of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, its crackdown on the pro-democracy motion in Hong Kong and its navy exercise round Taiwan. Beijing has responded by accusing the Biden administration of interfering in China’s core strategic pursuits.

A sixth particular person aware of the scenario stated Biden had floated the summit as considered one of a number of potentialities for follow-on engagement with Xi, and that the US president had not anticipated a right away response.

One US official briefed on the dialog stated that whereas Xi didn’t have interaction with the thought of a summit, the White Home believed this was partly attributable to considerations about Covid-19. Xi has not left China since he went to Myanmar in early 2020 earlier than the outbreak of the pandemic.

The US had thought of the G20 gathering in Italy in October for a doable summit, however Chinese language media have steered that Xi could not attend. He will even not attend the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation assembly this week in Tajikistan, the place China, Russia, India, Pakistan and central Asian nations will focus on Afghanistan.

One other particular person aware of the Biden-Xi name stated it was conceivable that the Chinese language president simply didn’t need to commit at this explicit time limit. A unique particular person stated it was doable that the 2 sides may comply with a video name — a step up from a cellphone name — across the time of the G20. However three individuals stated the US was upset with Xi’s obvious lack of curiosity in a summit.

The White Home declined to remark earlier than publication of this text however Jake Sullivan, US nationwide safety adviser, later stated the account of the Biden-Xi name was not correct.

“This isn’t an correct portrayal of the decision. Interval,” Sullivan stated in a press release. “As we’ve stated, the presidents mentioned the significance of with the ability to have personal discussions between the 2 leaders, and we’re going to respect that.”

Chinese language accounts of the decision emphasised that it had been initiated by Biden, and quoted Xi as saying that US insurance policies had prompted “severe difficulties”. Additionally they famous that the US “appears ahead to extra discussions and co-operation” with China, in language that implied Washington was pushing more durable for engagement than Beijing.

A day after the decision, the Monetary Occasions reported Biden was contemplating allowing Taiwan to change the name of its workplace within the US, from Taipei Financial and Cultural Consultant Workplace to “Taiwan Consultant Workplace. The report prompted an offended response from China, which fears that such a reputation change would bolster Taiwan’s declare to be a sovereign nation.

Bonnie Glaser, a China knowledgeable on the German Marshall Fund, stated it was tough to interpret Xi’s reluctance to carry an in-person summit.

“It might be politically dangerous for Xi to have interaction with President Biden with out certainty that he can get one thing from Biden. He could calculate that it’s safer to solely have interactions on this interval at decrease ranges,” Glaser stated. “However there may be additionally the Covid issue, and we don’t know the way a lot weight to connect to that.”

Comply with Demetri Sevastopulo on Twitter



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