Joe Biden and Xi Jinping will speak to each other on Monday, but neither the United States nor China is under any illusions about this conversation, especially intended to maintain contact in a context of growing tensions.
This virtual interview, the third since the inauguration of the American president in January, comes as disputes accumulate between Washington and Beijing, about Taiwan, but also trade and human rights.
This is, according to a senior White House official, “to ensure that competition does not lead to conflict”. “We want to build common safeguards to avoid any error in judgment and any misunderstanding,” said this source, adding that the meeting had been requested by the Americans.
Scheduled for Monday at 7:45 p.m. Washington time (00:45 GMT Tuesday), the conversation could last “a few hours,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday.
But both Washington and Beijing have tried to temper expectations.
The meeting is not expected to lead to “concrete results,” the White House warned.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that the two leaders “will have a frank, deep and comprehensive exchange of views” on their bilateral ties, which stand at “a critical crossroads.”
Beijing wishes to work with Washington to “put Sino-US relations back on the right path of healthy and stable development,” he said.
Joe Biden has never hidden his desire to meet the Chinese president in flesh and blood, as the latter strengthens his grip on the regime every day, and has criticized his absence at recent major international meetings.
But he must be satisfied with a new virtual meeting with Xi Jinping, who has not left China for nearly two years, citing health reasons.
If after the coming to power of Joe Biden, the tone has changed compared to the outbursts of the Trump era, the relationship between Washington and Beijing remains extremely tense.
Taiwan –
The fate of Taiwan is currently the focus of tension.
The Chinese state-owned daily Global Times noted in an editorial on Monday: “In order to reduce the risk of a strategic collision between China and the United States, the latter must take a step back from the Taiwan issue and show restraint . “
The senior White House official spoke to him about China’s “coercive and provocative behavior” towards Taiwan as one of the contentious issues, and stressed that Joe Biden would not fail to address this subject in a “direct and frank” manner.
Just as he will evoke, according to this source, economic practices deemed unfair by China, and human rights violations of which the United States accuses Beijing.
Washington stresses, however, that the two great powers could cooperate in certain areas, such as the fight against climate change.
This virtual meeting takes place at a time when Xi Jinping continues to strengthen his grip on the regime.
The Chinese Communist Party passed a text last week calling on “the entire Party, army and people to unite more closely around the Central Committee of which Xi Jinping forms the heart.”
Jen Psaki felt that Joe Biden, despite his plummeting popularity rating, arrived “in a position of strength” at his meeting with Xi Jinping, because the United States will boost their public investments and have undertaken to strengthen their alliances international.
“If Biden and Xi can establish a regular rhythm of communication, with face-to-face meetings when the conditions are right, then China and the United States can more easily manage the volatility and risks of their relationship,” said Danny Russel, senior diplomat during the Obama mandate and specialist in Asia, in an article for the journal “Foreign Affairs”.
Its text is captioned: “Diplomacy Cannot Fix This Relationship, But There Is Still Time To Avoid Disaster.”