Biden held four-hour talks with “dictator” Xi

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held four-hour talks at the Filoli residence near San Francisco on November 15 (local time). Speaking at a press conference following its results, the American leader called them “one of the most constructive and productive” of those that happened between them. However, Biden again could not resist calling his counterpart “dictator”.

According to the White House press service, Biden and Xi had a “frank and constructive discussion” on bilateral and global issues. “[Байден] stressed that the United States will always defend its interests, its values, as well as its allies and partners. He reiterated that the world expects the United States and China to approach competition responsibly to prevent it from escalating into conflict, confrontation or a new Cold War,” the White House said in a statement.

It is noted that the parties agreed to resume cooperation in the fight against global illicit drug production and trafficking, including synthetic drugs such as fentanyl. For this purpose, the United States and China will create a working group to coordinate the actions of law enforcement agencies.

In addition, high-level military contacts are being resumed between Beijing and Washington, which ended in August 2022, when former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s high-profile flight to Taiwan took place. According to CNN, this will lead to “the creation of mechanisms to address miscalculations and the creation of forums where both sides can air their concerns.” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart after Beijing decides on his figure (the post has remained vacant since October 24 after the resignation of former Minister Li Shanfu), and the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff plans to meet with his counterpart.

Biden and Xi also agreed on the need to address the risks posed by artificial intelligence systems, work to significantly increase scheduled passenger flights, advocated expanding educational, student, cultural, sports and business exchanges and emphasized the importance of working with each other to tackle the climate crisis.

As Xinhua notes, Biden greeted Xi warmly. The Chinese leader said the world is undergoing major changes not seen in 100 years, and China and the United States have two options: strengthen cooperation, work together to solve global problems and promote global security and prosperity, or adopt a “zero-sum game” mentality “, provoking conflicts and leading the world to turmoil and division. Xi called the China-US relationship “the most important bilateral relationship in the world.” According to him, trying to change each other is unrealistic, and the consequences of a conflict between countries will be unbearable for everyone.

“China will not follow the old path of colonial plunder and will not follow the path of hegemony, will not export ideology, and will not enter into ideological confrontation with any country. China has no plans to surpass or replace the US, and the US should not have any plans to suppress or contain China,” Xi said. He described the “five pillars” on which, in his opinion, relations between them should be built: to perceive each other correctly, eliminate differences, take into account mutual benefits, jointly bear the responsibilities of major powers and promote cultural and humanitarian contacts.

Regarding Taiwan, Biden stressed that the US “one China” policy has not changed, but the US opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo. “We expect cross-strait disputes to be resolved through peaceful means,” the American statement says, which also calls on China to show restraint in its use of military activity in the Taiwan Strait.

Xi responded by detailing China’s principled position on the Taiwan issue. “The United States should express its position of non-support for “Taiwan independence” in concrete actions, stop arming Taiwan and support the peaceful reunification of China. China will eventually reunite, reunification is inevitable,” he said.

A senior Biden administration official later told reporters that Xi initially assured that the Chinese would prefer a peaceful reunification with Taiwan, “but then immediately moved to terms for the potential use of force,” TASS writes. However, they were not disclosed to the press. Moreover, during the negotiations, the PRC Chairman commented on “reports that China is preparing for military action in 2027 or 2035,” which he “said with some degree of irritation.” “Then he actually said that there are no such plans,” said a representative of the American administration.

The American leader also did not ignore the topic of the universality of human rights, again drawing attention to the violation of human rights in China, in particular in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong. In addition, the United States is seeking to help its citizens who, it believes, have been detained in China without proper reason.

On international conflicts, the heads of China and the United States apparently only outlined their positions. The American leader said the United States, along with allies and partners, intends to continue to “support Ukraine’s defense from Russian aggression so that Ukraine emerges from this war as a democratic, independent, sovereign and prosperous country.”

Additionally, Biden reiterated U.S. support for Israel’s right “to defend itself against terrorism,” reaffirmed an “unwavering commitment” to defending allies in the Indo-Pacific region, upholding international law, maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and fully denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Finally, Biden expressed concern about the PRC’s “unfair trade policies, non-market economic practices, and punitive measures against American companies.” The United States will continue to take necessary measures against China’s “use of advanced American technology to undermine national security” without “unreasonably” restricting trade and investment. Xi, for his part, pointed out that the United States has continuously applied export controls, investment screenings and unilateral sanctions that “seriously harm China’s legitimate interests.”

During negotiations, state leaders sometimes sought to defuse the situation. The reason was the upcoming birthday of Biden and his wife Xi Peng Liyuan, who celebrate it on the same day – November 20. According to The New York Times, Biden congratulated Xi’s wife on the upcoming holiday, to which the Chinese leader said that “he was embarrassed that he worked so hard that he forgot” about it. Seeing Xi off after the talks, Biden examined his Hongqi limousine.

However, after the negotiations, Biden immediately made a statement in the same manner. At a press conference, reporters asked him if he was still willing to call the Chinese leader a dictator. “Listen, well, he is. “He’s a dictator in the sense that he’s a guy running a communist country whose government is completely different from ours,” he said. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has already called these words erroneous and irresponsible.

“Trust, but verify, as the old saying goes,” is how Biden described his attitude towards the Chinese leadership, which, however, may be perceived in the PRC as advice.

Biden, speaking about “dictator Xi,” tried not to fall into the trap of an American correspondent who asked a corresponding closed question, says Alexander Lomanov, head of the Center for Asia-Pacific Studies at IMEMO RAS. If Biden had said “no, I don’t think so,” then he would have been accused in the United States of serving the Chinese communists, and this would have reduced his chances in the election race. At the same time, Biden still tried to remove the focus from the personality of the Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, drawing attention to the differences in political systems. In general, if Biden reported to voters on the agreements reached, then the Chinese media focus on the five pillars of relations between China and the United States that Xi spoke about. “This is presented as China’s readiness and ability for strategic leadership in Sino-American relations,” Lomanov believes.