Biden and Xi Emerge from Four-Hour Meeting with Deal to Restore Military Contact

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Biden and Xi Emerge from Four-Hour Meeting with Deal to Restore Military Contact

President Joe Biden and Chinese dictator Xi Jinping had their much-touted face-to-face assembly in San Francisco on Wednesday, spending about 4 hours eating and strolling the grounds on the historic Filoli property.

The two main outcomes touted by the White House have been that Xi agreed to resume U.S.-China army communications and to assist cut back manufacturing in China of the lethal drug fentanyl.

The White House didn’t painting the assembly as a summit, which might have entailed an extended listing of accomplishments and a joint assertion.

Watch: #XiJinping and Joe Biden have one-on-one talks at Filoli Estate. #ChinaUS

Live updates: https://t.co/OlS69jIXq9 pic.twitter.com/eD7dKZSdie

— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) November 16, 2023

Biden and Xi gave a joint press conference from the Filoli property earlier than their talks, nevertheless it consisted principally of diplomatic pleasantries, with the 2 leaders speaking about how lengthy they’ve identified one another, how a lot they worth one another’s candor, and how essential the connection between the United States and China is to the remainder of the world.

Pointing to a photograph in his cellphone with the Golden Gate Bridge within the background, President Biden requested President Xi, “Do you know this young man?” “Oh yes,” stated President Xi, “this was 38 years ago.”🌞 pic.twitter.com/r65Em6Z7oS

— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) November 16, 2023

Xi used his remarks on the press convention to press China’s view that the coronavirus pandemic – which he refused to take accountability for – is over and the worldwide economic system is “sluggish.”

“Industrial and supply chains are still under the threat of interruption and protectionism is rising. All these are grave problems,” Xi stated, as if he weren’t the autocratic ruler of one of the vital protectionist economies on the earth.

“For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides,” Xi stated, pushing China’s narrative that decoupling from its economic system is unthinkable.

Biden administration officers fanned out throughout the media after Biden and Xi spoke, managing expectations whereas touting the settlement to restore army communications and Xi’s pledge to do extra about fentanyl as main accomplishments.

China reduce off army communications after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022. Ahead of the Biden-Xi assembly, White House officers talked up Biden’s willpower to restore the deconfliction line, and on Wednesday the administration played up Biden overcoming Xi’s “reluctance” by telling him how “absolutely critical” it was to get American and Chinese army officers speaking once more.

The administration stated Biden pointed to the Chinese spy balloon incident for instance of why communications are so essential. During a wierd dialog with his donors in June, Biden claimed Xi didn’t personally know in regards to the spy balloon and was considerably embarrassed by the incident. Biden reportedly informed Xi on Wednesday that reconnecting the army hotlines would assist to stop such misunderstandings sooner or later.

Officials in Beijing confirmed after the assembly that army communications shall be resumed, together with a face-to-face assembly between U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and whoever replaces Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. Li disappeared with out warning in August and was formally sacked on October 24.

The Biden administration additionally talked up Xi’s settlement to crack down on Chinese firms that manufacture the precursor chemical substances for fentanyl. The administration officers who talked to the media appeared barely much less keen about this accomplishment, tossing in caveats that the U.S. would fastidiously watch what China really does about fentanyl over the following few months.

A number of upbeat feedback in regards to the progress of the talks appeared on Biden’s TWitter account over the course of the afternoon. “There are critical global challenges that demand our joint leadership. And today, we made real progress,” one of many Biden posts said.

“I’ve just concluded a day of meetings with President Xi, and I believe they were some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had,” stated one other.

I’ve simply concluded a day of conferences with President Xi, and I imagine they have been a number of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.

We constructed on groundwork laid over the previous a number of months of diplomacy between our international locations and made essential progress. pic.twitter.com/0RT1q0FZHr

— President Biden (@POTUS) November 16, 2023

The administration claimed Biden delivered stern warnings to China about interfering with Taiwan’s politics or threatening the island, however the Chinese Foreign Ministry rapidly nixed that narrative by lecturing the U.S. to maintain its nostril out of Taiwanese issues.

“The U.S. side should take real actions to honor its commitment of not supporting ‘Taiwan independence’, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable,” stated Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

Administration sources declare Biden additionally pressed Xi to use his affect with Iran to “avoid steps that could be seen as provocative in the Middle East,” because the Jerusalem Post put it.

This would most probably be a fragile reference to Iran’s proxy forces in Iraq and Syria launching incessant rocket and drone assaults in opposition to American troops. The Biden administration pleaded with the Iraqi authorities to rein in its militia, to no avail, and then launched a couple of pinprick airstrikes in opposition to militia provide camps in Syria, which solely appeared to make the assaults on U.S. forces enhance.

In his post-meeting solo press conference on Wednesday evening, Biden effusively thanked Xi for promising to fight fentanyl, and stated essentially the most “critically important” end result of the afternoon talks was the resumption of army communications.

Biden additionally touted an settlement to management the usage of army synthetic intelligence, which has been criticized for giving freely a major American benefit in know-how. He stated he talked to Xi about China’s aggressive habits within the South China Sea, and China’s unfair commerce practices. Biden gave no indication of Xi’s response to these criticisms.

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