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
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.
In the face of an economic slowdown and other fallout from China’s “zero-Covid” approach, Beijing apparently understands the stakes at the virtual meeting.
“It was unanimously agreed that the external environment has grown increasingly complex and grave over the past year … while China has faced extremely arduous tasks in Covid-19 prevention and control, as well as economic and social development at home,” said a communique issued at the end of the four-day meeting.
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The 7,400-word document hailed Beijing’s much-criticised assertive foreign policy under Xi and said “China has broken new ground in its diplomatic endeavours amid profound global changes and turned crises into opportunities amid complex situations on the international stage”.
Without mentioning any country, it enshrined Xi’s calls for greater fighting spirit in the face of perceived bullying by the West as part of the party’s most “valuable historical experience” over the past century.
“These efforts have resulted in a marked increase in China’s international influence, appeal, and power to shape,” the document said, without elaboration.
In a clear pushback against rampant criticism from Americans and Europeans, it vigorously defended Beijing’s heavy-handed approach on Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Unlike the fifth plenum last year, which emphasised risk of instability, this year’s communique claimed the party had “enhanced security on all fronts and withstood the many political, economic, ideological, and natural risks, challenges and trials”.
“[The leadership under Xi] has solved many tough problems that were long on the agenda but never resolved and accomplished many things that were wanted but never got done,” the document said.
Interestingly, this year’s communique avoided the usual mentioning of China enjoying a “period of strategic opportunities” in light of “a profound adjustment in the international balance of power”, referring to the official Chinese narrative about the relative decline of the US.
If Xi is a hawk and Biden a dove, what does it mean when their paths cross?
However, despite low expectations for breakthroughs, the long-anticipated meeting is a make-or-break moment, with both Xi and Biden under domestic pressure and poised to adopt a more nationalistic and less compromising approach in the months ahead.
