New Delhi: After nine months of overt hostility in tandem with its allies, including India and Australia, US President Joe Biden will virtually meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday morning.
Ever since Biden took over as President in June, Washington has accused the Xi-led China of becoming overly aggressive with its neighbours, including India, committing human rights abuses in Xinjiang, cracking down on pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong and not cooperating in investigating the Covid origins.
Neither side has set high hopes for the meeting. For China, Taiwan is the number one issue especially after two groups of Republican Senators visited the island since Biden took office. In response, the PLA sent military patrol aircraft to conduct a joint combat readiness patrol in Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
The White House too has ruled out a joint statement or a major announcement. “He (Biden) feels that the history of their relationship, having spent time with him, allows him to be quite candid as he has been in the past and he will continue to be,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
So far, the two leaders have twice spoken over phone in February and September.
It is in China’s interest to seek short-term stabilisation as its economy is not doing too well, it is set to host the Winter Olympics in February and there is a building housing bubble.