China says it is discussing Xi-Biden meeting at G20 in Bali after US President signals he expects to talk about ‘red lines’

Beijing warns Washington to respect its sovereignty after US leader says he expects to talk about Taiwan and other contentious issues
Tensions remain high and analysts said the political atmosphere in the US after the midterm elections was likely to further limit the room for manoeuvre

US-China relations

Stella Chen

Published: 8:00pm, 10 Nov 2022

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China’s foreign ministry said it was in “communication” with the US over a meeting between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden after the US leader signalled that he was expecting to discuss Washington’s “red lines” over Taiwan and other issues with his Chinese counterpart.

The two sides have not officially confirmed that the meeting will take place, and on Thursday foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said “no information can be provided at this point” about the proposed meeting at next week’s Group of 20 summit in Bali.

“The leaders of China and the US maintain regular contact through various formats. China attaches great importance to the US proposal of an in-person meeting in Bali and the two sides are currently maintaining communication in this regard,” Zhao said.

Responding to Biden’s remark about “red lines” in Taiwan, he told a scheduled press conference that Taiwan is at the core of China’s core interests and the US should stop hollowing out and distorting the one-China principle and respect the sovereignty of other countries.

On Wednesday the US President had said: “What I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what each of our red lines are, understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be in the critical interests in the United States, and to determine whether or not they conflict with one another. And if they do, how to resolve and how to work it out.”

However, he declined to say whether he would tell Xi that the US would defend the island if it was attacked.

All eyes on possible Xi-Biden summit at G20 but why won’t they confirm?

Any meeting would be their first face-to-face encounter since Biden entered the White House in January 2020, but analysts said it is unlikely to produce any solid outcomes.

Tensions between the two countries remain high over Taiwan, which has faced increasing military pressure from mainland China since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in August – a visit Beijing regarded as a major violation of its sovereignty.

The following month the US Senate approved a sweeping bill to provide US$6.5 billion worth of weapons to Taipei.

Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s political science department, said he did not expect any breakthrough over Taiwan given the political atmosphere in the United States following the midterm elections.

“I don’t see any incentive for Xi to scale down military pressure on Taiwan if asked by Biden. Xi might ask Biden to rein in future visits to Taiwan by US officials,” Chong said.

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US midterm elections throw control of Congress in the air as Republican ‘red wave’ prospects dim

But he said Biden could only manage official visits by members of his administration and cannot control what Congress does, “especially if we have a Republican House [of Representatives] that is skeptical of China”.

“It might backfire even more badly if China [uses] the same rhetoric on Taiwan issues to a Republican House,” Chong added.

Although the results of the midterms are unclear, the Republicans appear on course to take control of the House, weakening Biden’s control over the policy agenda.

Meanwhile, Xi secured an unprecedented third term as China’s paramount leader at last month’s Communist Party congress and stepped up the centralisation of power with many of his loyalists being granted seats on the Politburo, the country’s top decision-making body.

COP27: China, US envoys hold informal talks, try to set stage for Biden-Xi talks

Biden also said he wanted to discuss China’s growing nuclear arsenal and ask Xi if he has “backed off of his initial judgment” that China should have the world’s most powerful military and overtake the US as the largest economy.

Pang Zhongying, an international politics professor at Sichuan University, said Biden’s remark shows that the US is trying to gauge the “rising power” of China but that may be the wrong focus.

“China’s economy is experiencing a low point due to stringent Covid prevention policies. We can actually see the end of China’s economic rise amid the restrictions, therefore there is no point in discussing how China will dominate the world economy,” Pang said.

Pang said the summit was an occasion for both leaders to share their diplomatic agenda and learn about potential conflicts and areas for cooperation.

Xi and Biden pictured at a 2013 meeting in Beijing. The two have not met in person since Biden entered the White House. Photo: Getty Images

Russia confirmed on Thursday that President Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit and Biden has suggested that China might be distancing itself from Moscow to some degree as its war in Ukraine continues.

However, Chong said: “Biden might want Xi to distance himself from Putin but I wouldn’t see China pressuring Moscow to stop the war in Ukraine in the short-term, especially if it is a request from the American president. It will make China look weak.”