Venues, stepladders and logistical nightmares: the hurdles facing protocol gurus for Xi-Biden meeting
- The nations have distinct diplomatic styles, mirroring their political systems: the US focuses on retail politics; China is scripted and top-down
- Biden and Xi have a long personal history, but that will not affect their long-awaited policy dialogue on Wednesday on the Apec sidelines
For years, US President Joe Biden made much of his long relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. As Xi became the heir apparent, then president Barack Obama dispatched Biden, his vice-president, to Beijing to spend time, including attendance at a basketball game involving the visiting Georgetown University team.
But analysts say that at the end of the day, none of this personal history will move the needle when the two leaders sit down on Wednesday in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
“Xi has heard all of Biden’s stories about Scranton, Pennsylvania, and about his father, and about poetry and everything,” said Victor Cha of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), referring to the working-class city where Biden grew up. “But I don’t think we’re going to see a lot of that at this meeting.”
This US focus on retail politics, contrasting with China’s scripted, top-down preference, says much about the nature of the two political systems.
“The American fantasy is a walk in the woods, both sides bare their soul, and all problems are solved,” said Jeffrey Moon, a former National Security Council official and founder of the China Moon Strategies consultancy. “There may be some ability to interact, but it’s very limited.”
02:27
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets top US senator, says China-US ties impact 'destiny of mankind'
With few deliverables expected when the two leaders finally sit down on Wednesday, attention has gone into the setting, venue and a host of other seemingly unimportant but hugely consequential details given the stakes.