Washington, United States: The much-anticipated meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place for the first time in a year on Wednesday. Reportedly, the leaders of both superpowers discussed crucial topics such as military conflicts, artificial intelligence (AI) and drug trafficking.
According to the reports by Reuters, Biden and Xi will also discuss the topics that have witnessed long disagreement, including Taiwan, the South China Sea, the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea, and human rights.
The arrival of Biden and Xi
Both leaders landed in San Francisco on Tuesday. Biden and Xi will be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. They are also expected to participate in the meetings on the sidelines of the event.
Leaders from a group of 21 countries, along with hundreds of CEOs in San Francisco, gather to discuss issues like China’s economic challenges, territorial disputes with neighbors and the Middle East conflicts causing divisions between the United States and its allies.
The reports have suggested that both leaders will be meeting far from the location of the Summit at a vast estate miles outside of San Francisco. Reuters suggested that the location has been chosen because of its security, remoteness and serenity.
In this regard, the White House spokesperson – John Kirby, underscored, “The table has been set … over the course of many weeks for what we hope will be a very productive, candid, constructive conversation.” This statement was given by a spokesperson to reporters while traveling aboard Air Force One.
Israel-Hamas Conflict
It is to be noted that the meeting, which is expected to last hours, will witness the discussion over the Israel-Hamas war. Biden may ask Xi to urge Iran not to interfere, which can avoid the widening of the regional conflict.
Release of “wrongly” detained Americans
In addition to this, Biden is also expected to discuss the status of the Americans, which Washington believes are wrongly detained in China. Along with this, he will also raise Chinese “influence operation” in foreign elections.
According to anonymous US officials, the leaders will also have a conversation about reducing the follow of fentanyl – as the majority of the chemicals used to form fentanyl come from China. Issues such as specific issues from military-to-military communication to managing the growth of artificial intelligence technologies to managing trade and climate will also be discussed.
Biden has managed to maintain an economy that has been doing better than expected compared to other wealthy nations post-COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being unpopular with voters, he has been aiming for a second term amid the raised concerns about the stability of US democracy.
It is to be known that Biden gathered support from the US’ traditional allies in Europe and Asia to deal with Russia during the conflict with Ukraine, although there are some disagreements about the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Meanwhile, Xi has increased control over policies, state leadership, media, and the military and made changes to the constitution. The country is facing economic challenges that are impacting its three-decade-long period of rapid growth.
Reuters has reported that US President Biden is also expected to tell Xi about the unchanged commitments of the United States in the Indo-Pacific. According to US officials, Biden will also express his viewpoint regarding his administration’s commitment to the Philippines’ security.