Joe Biden and Xi Jinping's virtual summit tentatively set for November 15: Report

Amid soaring tensions between Beijing and Washington, US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be holding a bilateral virtual summit on Monday,15 November, Politico reported. While speaking to the media outlet, a US official informed that the two leaders telegraphed their intent to establish a positive tone for the summit via letters of congratulations to mark the 55th anniversary of the National Committee on United States-China Relations. 

According to a press note, Jinping’s letter, read by China’s ambassador to the US, Qin Gang, at Tuesday’s NCUSCR black-tie gala dinner, stated that “China stands ready to work with the United States to enhance exchanges and cooperation across the board ... so as to bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of sound and steady development.”

Biden’s letter emphasised the “global significance” of the US-China relationship in addressing challenges “from tackling the COVID-19 pandemic to addressing the existential threat of the climate crisis." 

Now, no major deliverables are expected from the meeting. However, analysts believe that the two leaders are expected to discuss a range of issues including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, arms control and a possible framework to ease tensions between Washington and Beijing. The summit presents the biggest opportunity yet to reset the bilateral relationship between the two countries, Politico reported. 

US-China relationship 

It is to mention that the US and China have remained geopolitical rivals for decades and relations between them have further frayed due to Beijing's aggressive claims of sovereignty along the South China Sea fuelled by Chinese engagement in testing high-tech projectiles. In response, Biden has staked out a broader foreign policy strategy toward China that involves managing and succeeding in competition with Beijing but avoiding conflict. At times, the US President has also firmly condemned China over human rights abuses and other practices. 

However, this has only complicated his administration’s climate efforts as disputes over commitments to tackle climate change are the latest flashpoint in tensions between US and China. Biden has rebuked China, saying that Jinping’s decision to skip the UN climate summit was a “big mistake”. China, on the other hand, hit back at America over the criticism. 

(Image: AP)