The highly anticipated meeting between U.S President Joe Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping is set to take place in the Bay Area of California during the APEC conference in March of 2021. This would be the first time that the two presidents have met face-to-face since Biden took office and signals the start of a new period of intense diplomatic discussions between the two superpowers.
The White House has been very vocal in the recent months regarding the need to address the fact that China has been engaging in a number of activities that are dangerous for the international community. This is why Biden and Xi will be discussing various topics from cyber security to human rights and trade relations.
The upcoming summit marks one of the first steps that Biden will be taking as president to take a stand against China and the need to address economic imbalances between the two countries. Biden has publicly mentioned that he does not plan to back off from the former Trump administration’s stiff tariffs on Chinese imports and export controls, which will impact the overall movement of goods between the two countries.
The United States’ delegate will also likely bring up the need for China to become a more responsible member of the international community and also address concerns relating to political and digital freedom for its citizens. As China’s economy and international influence continues to grow, many countries feel that their activities are adversely affecting the security and economic well-being of their neighbors, especially along the South China Sea.
The upcoming meeting also has the potential to change the current climate between the two countries as Biden is expected to emphasize the need for the two sides to work together on a new American-led technology innovation order. In addition, Biden is expected to press the need for China to change its expansive military buildup in the South and East China Seas.
Both sides face a difficult road ahead in their negotiations, as the United States attempts to hold China accountable for its activities in the international system while China is similarly determined to assert itself as a powerful nation in the global arena. It will remain to be seen how the meeting between Biden and Xi turn out and whether it brings about any tangible results for the international community.