US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping recently held a historic meeting to ease tensions between the two countries. The leaders of the world’s largest economies met at the picturesque Filoli country estate near San Francisco, where they discussed key stress points such as Taiwan, trade wars, and sanctions.
The four-hour talks were described by Biden as going well, and he expressed his satisfaction by giving a double thumbs up. Both leaders acknowledged the importance of competition not turning into conflict. Xi emphasized that the planet is big enough for both countries to succeed.
During their meeting, Biden and Xi enjoyed a walk in the gardens of the estate and shared a smile and a handshake upon arrival. They also had a working lunch before Biden posted an update on X (formerly known as Twitter), expressing the value of their conversation and the real progress made.
This meeting marked the first time Biden and Xi met in person since November 2022. Relations between the two countries took a hit earlier this year when the United States shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon. Since then, diplomatic efforts have been ongoing to arrange this face-to-face meeting.
The summit was highly anticipated and was expected to address various issues, including resuming military-to-military contacts and collaborating to reduce the flow of fentanyl from China to the United States. However, the primary focus of the meeting was to ease tensions between the two nations amid the ongoing struggle for global dominance.
Biden and Xi’s meeting took place in an atmosphere of cordiality and mutual respect. Both leaders emphasized the importance of dialogue and understanding. They discussed global challenges such as climate change and artificial intelligence.
Notably, the issue of Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy that China claims sovereignty over, was not specifically mentioned by either leader in their opening remarks. However, it was expected that Biden would reiterate the United States’ commitment to the One China policy, which supports Taiwan’s non-independence but provides military aid.
The meeting between Biden and Xi was welcomed by Russia, which views China as part of a growing authoritarian alliance. Xi aimed to address trade curbs during the summit, as China’s economy has been grappling with growth challenges due to its strict zero-Covid policy.
In conclusion, the historical meeting between President Biden and President Xi aimed to ease tensions between the United States and China. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the talks and emphasized the importance of dialogue and understanding. While specific challenges such as Taiwan were not explicitly discussed, the meeting focused on cooling tensions and finding common ground between the two countries.
