By Eric Ham
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) – The long-awaited meeting between leaders of the two largest economies talked for nearly four hours Monday night and some of the exchanges were “incredibly direct.”
There were several readouts afterwards by the U.S. side, a brief appearance Tuesday at the Brookings Institution think tank by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan – it was his quote that exchanges were “incredibly direct – and some stories in China media. But the after-action reports were heavily laced with platitudinal talking points. An example is the background briefing teleconference by U.S. officials, the transcript of which is elsewhere on this Mace News site.
But exactly what was said may await further disclosures.
President Biden and President Xi met virtually. It was described as the most comprehensive discussion between the two since Biden became president. Both sides, it was said, noted points of tension and the readouts said both sides emphasized ways to avoid conflict. As U.S. officials had said beforehand, a range of delicate issues were discussed but no conclusions or major announcements were to be made at the conclusion. And they weren’t.
The White House released a statement after the meeting saying in part, “President Biden underscored that the United States will continue to stand up for its interests and values and, together with our allies and partners, ensure the rules of the road for the 21st century advance an international system that is free, open, and fair.”
During the meeting President Biden raised concerns about the PRC’s practices in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong, as well as human rights more broadly. Both leaders said it would be better to meet in person. Both called for increased communication. One notable issue not discussed was the South China Sea.
The Chinese leader also “expressed his readiness to work with President Biden to build consensus and take active steps to move China-US relations forward in a positive direction,” according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Chinese side emphasized the importance of the United Nations and said “multilateralism without China-U.S. cooperation is incomplete.”
In particular, the two leaders discussed the existential nature of the climate crisis to the world and the important role that the United States and the PRC play. They also discussed the importance of taking measures to address global energy supplies. The two leaders also exchanged views on key regional challenges, including DPRK, Afghanistan, and Iran. Yet the question remained, what was it about the exchanges were “incredibly direct.” Does that imply there were sharp disagreements? If so, what were they?
China’s Vice Premier Liu He, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng joined the virtual meeting, along with Ding Xuexiang, director of the general office of the CCP’s central committee, and Yang Jiechi, director of the committee’s foreign affairs office.
On the U.S. side, attendees included Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Sullivan. Three representatives from the National Security Council also joined: Kurt Campbell, deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for the Indo-Pacific; Laura Rosenberger, special assistant to the president and senior director for China; and Jon Czin, director for China.
Weighty issues, top leadership on both sides and an agenda that seemed to span a large portion of the current and potential flash points. But nothing on tariffs and no mention of whether President Biden might declare a “diplomatic boycott” of the Beijing Olympics, officials said. Yet plenty of ingredients of what the U.S. side said require “intensive diplomacy” to avoid the possibility “intense competition” could veer into conflict. However, the close-up granularity of the discussion, one in which the details count for a whole lot, may only come later.
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Contact this reporter: eric@macenews.com
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