Biden and Xi Break Yearlong Silence with Face-to-Face Summit in San Francisco, Heightening Fears of Possible War
President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are set to have a highly-anticipated face-to-face summit in San Francisco. This meeting comes after a yearlong silence between the two leaders, during which tensions have escalated, leading to concerns that their countries may be headed toward war.
The summit is being held in San Francisco, although the exact location has not been disclosed due to security reasons. This will be the first time Biden and Xi have spoken or met since their meeting on the sidelines of an international summit in Indonesia a year ago.
The deteriorating relations between the United States and China have exacerbated the risk of an unwanted confrontation, according to US officials. An example cited was the February incident when the Biden administration shot down a Chinese spy balloon that crossed into US territory. The lack of communication channels between the two countries became apparent as there was no way for the Pentagon to contact Beijing. This issue highlights the need for improved communication between the nations.
The Biden administration believes that the US holds a position of strength going into the summit. While China is facing challenges such as high youth unemployment and disinvestment from foreign companies, Biden has been touting robust economic growth and low unemployment rates in the US.
Both leaders are not expecting any major breakthroughs from this meeting. However, they are anticipated to agree on measures to combat the flow of fentanyl from China to the US. Additionally, efforts will be made to revive the military communication channels that China had closed following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan last year. This visit was viewed by China as a provocation and resulted in reprisals against the US.
President Biden’s objective is to resume military-to-military contacts and establish operational and policy dialogues at the highest level. The focus will be on discussions about operations in the Indo-Pacific region. Another priority for Biden is to urge China to utilize its influence with Iran to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from escalating further.
At lower governmental levels, US officials have already conveyed their concerns to the Chinese, emphasizing that any escalation would be met with a forceful response from the United States. They have also urged the leaders in Tehran to refrain from taking actions that could lead to a wider conflict in the Middle East.
This summit between Biden and Xi is critical in addressing the growing tensions between the US and China. The world will be closely watching the outcomes, hoping for positive steps towards easing the strained relations and preventing a potential war.
