Washington, 16 November 2023 (TDI): Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden have concluded more than two hours of meeting in San Francisco ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
The two leaders discussed various regional and global challenges including the resumption of military ties.
The two leaders met for the first time in a year at Filoli Estate, south of San Francisco. After a happy handshake and smiles, Xi told Biden, “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.”
Officials on both sides ahead of the meeting shared a long range of objections over the Taiwan issue, the Israel-Hamas war, Russia’s full-fledged war on Ukraine, and North Korea, and human rights in Xinjiang, China.
Furthermore, both leaders also emphasized global issues such as climate change. In the 21st century, this issue become a major problem not only for the developing world but also for the developed world. Cooperation on this issue by global leaders was need of an hour.
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Moreover, the two nations have taken divergent stances on the Middle East, with China advocating for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas. In contrast, the US has sided with Israel and utilized its position on the United Nations Security Council to veto calls for a ceasefire.
After the meeting, the US official said that the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would meet its Chinese counterpart regarding the military communications and agreements. On the contrary, due to US sanctions on the Chinese defense minister, Beijing is currently without a defense minister after Li Shangfu. He was fired without explanation and he had disappeared from public activities.
Simultaneously, Xi said after a meeting that the continuation of high-level military talks was based on equity and respect, reportedly.
Biden also called on Xi to use his part in controlling Iran to make it clear that Tehran and its proxies should avoid aggressive actions that could spread Israel-Hamas conflict across the region. In this sense, Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured the US officials that the Chinese have conveyed concerns to Iran on the issue.
The collaboration between the world’s top economies, the US and China, stands as a critical force for addressing global challenges like climate change. However, tensions have escalated as both sides voice increasing discontent, clashing over matters ranging from technology to international politics.
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