Editorial | Cautious approach on Xi-Biden talks raises hopes for relations
- As the US confirms the two leaders will meet at the Apec summit, China rightly remains guarded, but signs are both desperately want to go ahead
The White House has confirmed that presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden will meet face to face on the sidelines of this month’s Apec leaders’ meeting in San Francisco, for the first time since the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, a year ago. The Chinese foreign ministry has stopped short of confirmation and says the world’s two biggest economies are working towards that keenly anticipated goal.
It says something about the fragility of the China-United States relationship, and how easily it can run off the rails, that Beijing is apparently wary of open commitment when there is still time for something to go wrong with well-laid plans. A case in point is the balloon incident last February that was used to damaging effect by some critics and did nothing for trust in bilateral ties.
Were it not for that, a Xi-Biden summit may have taken place much sooner.
After such a setback, China stopped giving advance notice of high-level meetings to avoid creating opportunities for critics to make trouble for the relationship. Evidence of this is to be found in the last-minute public notice of meetings Xi granted to recent official American visitors to Beijing.
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Washington is in no position to give guarantees against negative incidents in that regard, given the Biden administration does not control congressional politicians and other potential critics.
In delaying a commitment, Beijing is in effect keeping open an eleventh-hour change of course to avoid any embarrassment. That said, it is almost certain Xi will attend Apec and meet Biden, even if China continues to keep its cards close to its chest.