Accounts from both the United States and China regarding the meeting revealed limited progress on the issues that have brought the two nations to the brink of conflict.
On Wednesday, President Biden stated that four hours of discussions with President Xi Jinping of China resulted in two significant agreements, focusing on curbing fentanyl production and enhancing military-to-military communications. However, reports from both American and Chinese perspectives on their first meeting in a year suggested minimal headway on the broader issues that have strained relations and brought the two nations to the brink of conflict.
For a summit that had so many issues to address it is striking that the president only took four questions, with reporters carefully vetted by his aides, and two follow-ups. Accounts from both
The primary source of tension between the United States and China continues to be Taiwan. The upcoming January presidential elections are poised to serve as a critical litmus test. President Biden and his team are closely monitoring China’s actions, particularly in terms of potential cyber interference and the use of military tactics, such as launching missiles around the island. There is concern that China might attempt to influence the Taiwanese electorate by instilling fear, aiming for a more China-friendly political outcome. U.S. officials are prepared for any unexpected moves from China in this regard.
The absence of any mention of climate change also speaks to the fact that the agreement announced last night between the United States and China is hardly groundbreaking. It takes some important technical steps, but it does nothing to rein in China’s rapid expansion of coal-fired power plants.