In denying ‘old friend’ Xi Jinping, did US President Joe Biden prioritise politics over regard for Asian, Chinese culture?
- When the Chinese president called his American counterpart ‘lao peng you’, the White House stressed the pair were no backslapping buddies
- The frosty response was shaped by domestic politics but across Asia, terms of familiarity are common social lubricants
Biden responded with a “thank you” but did not respond in kind. Earlier this year, asked by a reporter if he would consider Xi an “old friend”, Biden, 78, said both knew each other well but weren’t “old friends”.
“It’s just pure business,” he said.
The White House was keen to stress that message after the meeting. Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates was asked by a reporter if the greeting showed that “Xi was trying to in some way undermine the United States”. He replied that he could not speak for Xi’s intentions but while the two leaders were “able to have candid discussions [and] be direct with each other”, Biden did “not consider Xi an old friend”.
Analysts said that Washington’s aversion to the idea that both leaders saw each other as “old friends” stemmed from fractious bilateral ties and the bipartisan consensus within the US to counter China’s rise.
In China, however, the term “old friend” is usually used to describe someone who has long years of interactions with the country, or both, and is meant to facilitate positive sentiments and exchanges. It’s the same across Asia, when terms of familiarity are frequently used but mostly as a social lubricant to convey goodwill and forge better interpersonal ties.