Biden and Xi Jinping to Meet Face-to-Face in November: Report
Senior unidentified US officials have reported that President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could hold a face-to-face meeting in San Francisco next month. The occasion for this potential meeting is the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November, which Xi Jinping may attend. The White House is actively considering this meeting as an opportunity to address the strained US-China relations, which have faced challenges on multiple fronts, including Taiwan, the origins of COVID-19, espionage concerns, and trade tariffs.
According to reports, the possibility of a Biden-Xi meeting is described as "pretty firm" by one of the officials cited in The Washington Post. Planning for this encounter is already underway. However, there has been no official response from the Chinese embassy in Washington or the White House regarding this report.
The potential Biden-Xi meeting comes after a series of high-level engagements between the two nations in recent months. These interactions included visits from US officials to China, such as State Secretary Antony Blinken in June, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in July, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in August. Despite these engagements, differences remain, with the United States asserting that it does not intend to decouple from China, while China expresses concern over US arms sales and military financing to Taiwan.
Impact on India's Perspective
From India's standpoint, a meeting between President Biden and Xi Jinping could have significant implications. India has been carefully monitoring the evolving dynamics between the two global powers. A potential improvement in US-China relations may influence how both nations approach their relationships with India. India has traditionally sought to balance its diplomatic ties between the United States and China.
Any de-escalation of tensions and increased cooperation between Washington and Beijing could potentially create a more complex diplomatic landscape for India to navigate. Additionally, India has its own concerns regarding border disputes and regional influence, making it essential for Indian policymakers to observe this meeting closely and assess its implications for the broader Indo-Pacific region.
If this November meeting does indeed take place, it would mark the first face-to-face encounter between the leaders of the two largest economies since their sideline meeting at the G20 summit in Bali last November.
At that time, both leaders expressed hope for improved US-China relations, but subsequent events, including the downing of a Chinese spy balloon by the US in February, have strained ties. As such, the world will be watching closely to see if this potential meeting can lead to progress in addressing the complex and multifaceted challenges in the US-China relationship.
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