After a year of tensions and diplomatic coldness, American Presidents Joe Biden and Chinese Presidents Xi Jinping finally resumed dialogue at the Apec summit in San Francisco. Their meeting, although marked by deep differences, was hailed as “constructive and productive”.
In a press conference held after their meeting, Joe Biden called Xi Jinping a “dictator”, highlighting the fundamental differences between the Chinese system of government and that of the United States. This statement angered Beijing, which recalled its dissatisfaction with the use of this term by the US government in the past.
Despite these differences, the two presidents agreed to resume high-level military communications, which had been suspended for more than a year. This decision aims to prevent any escalation of tensions and to promote better mutual understanding in the event of a crisis. Joe Biden stressed the importance of being able to pick up the phone and speak directly with Xi Jinping in an emergency.
However, this meeting did not resolve the fundamental differences between the two countries. The Taiwan issue remains a central point of friction, with Xi Jinping insisting that the island’s reunification was “inevitable” and calling on the United States to stop supplying arms to Taiwan. For his part, Joe Biden reminded Xi Jinping of the importance of respecting the electoral process in Taiwan, affirming that the United States did not support the independence of the island but rejected any takeover by force.
Although progress has been made in some areas, such as cooperation on reducing fentanyl supplies and discussing the risks of artificial intelligence, it is clear that differences between the United States and China remain deep and complex.
This meeting between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, despite its symbolic character, therefore does not mark a rapid resolution of tensions between the two superpowers, but rather an attempt to renew dialogue and find common ground on certain subjects. The future of Sino-American relations will therefore remain a subject to follow closely in the months to come.