Editorial | Talks between Xi and Biden can help reduce escalating tensions
- Recent high-level meetings between top Chinese and American diplomats have raised hopes, but trust and understanding can only be improved by direct dialogue between the two presidents
Differing world outlooks are at the root of strained relations between Washington and Beijing. Their grievances towards one another run deep and will not easily be resolved.
But recent high-level talks between top diplomats and an expressed willingness to cooperate on common areas of concern prove a desire on both sides for ties to be repaired. There can be hope as long as the channels of communication remain open.
State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s five-hour meeting with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of a recent Group of 20 gathering in Bali was the latest show of resolve.
It followed talks of similar length in Luxembourg last month between the nation’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. In both instances, discussions were variously described as being candid, substantive and constructive, covering areas of regional and global concern.
It is to be hoped the encounters soon pave the way for the highest-level dialogue of all between the two presidents, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden.
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US Secretary of State Blinken on meeting China at G20 summit in Bali
Xi and Biden have spoken three times since the American leader took office 18 months ago. Biden has pledged to abide by agreements and principles that are the foundation of Sino-US relations.