Editorial | Failure not an option after virtual summit gives reason for hope
- Talks between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden just may have cleared the air over Taiwan but plenty of challenges lie ahead, particularly on the economic front
It may have paved the way for the two powers to turn a new page. The meeting lasted for three hours and 38 minutes, including a half-hour extension to accommodate all the issues between them – usually a good sign.
China described the meeting as candid, constructive, practical and fruitful. The two leaders eased tensions over contentious issues.
Their clearing of the air over Taiwan comes as a relief to all sides. Biden reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the one-China policy, notwithstanding the development of closer ties with the self-ruled island.
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Xi Jinping and Joe Biden call for mutual respect and peaceful China-US coexistence
Xi said China would show patience and sincerity in waiting for peaceful reunification, unless provoked. Both sides in their own ways backed the status quo.
Biden came to the summit with his political stock bolstered by passage of his trillion-dollar infrastructure package. Xi briefed Biden about the just concluded sixth plenum, saying it was his honour to serve 1.4 billion Chinese people, which can be seen as a subtle message that the ruling party has consolidated his position and the US can expect to have to do business with China under his leadership for some time.