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As I see it | Summit a chance for Xi and Biden to act global and think local
- Both leaders face crucial domestic tests next year and their virtual meeting on Tuesday was probably the best opportunity to connect directly and seek a truce
- The presidents of China and the US are poised to adopt a more nationalistic and less compromising approach in the months ahead
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There is no such thing as coincidence in diplomacy, especially in planning a summit. The timing of the first virtual meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday is a good example.
Both leaders face crucial tests at home next year and this was probably the best – and only – opportunity left to connect directly and seek a temporary truce amid mounting fears of a mishap or miscalculation.
Stung by the Afghanistan debacle and mired in domestic economic and political distress, Biden is at his most vulnerable before midterm elections next year and he must showcase his policy mix of engagement and competition with China. It is understandable he would want to meet Xi before his Summit for Democracy next month, where he could tell democratic leaders around the world how best to approach an increasingly assertive Beijing.
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For Xi, who emerged triumphant from a Communist Party conclave last week, this is probably the best time since the coronavirus crisis broke out nearly two years ago.
After elevation to the pantheon of great leaders alongside Mao Zedong, Xi must focus on the once-in-a-decade leadership reshuffle before the party’s national congress next year, when he is expected to head into a third term.
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