During their first tête-à-tête in Bali, the American president said he wanted to “prevent the competition to turn into conflict” and his counterpart advocated a “sincere” dialogue.
Le Monde with AFP
Joe Biden and Xi Jinping met on Monday, November 14 for a long-awaited face-to-face in which the American president said he wanted to avoid a “conflict” between Beijing and Washington. After a handshake, Joe Biden expressed the intention of “managing the differences and preventing the competition from turning into conflict”. Xi Jinping said, in return, ready for a “sincere” dialogue on strategic issues, because the two countries must “find the right direction”.
This is their first head-to-head since the arrival of Mr. Biden at the White House. The two heads of state had to have a long interview on the Indonesian island of Bali, on the eve of the G20 summit, which brings together the world’s largest economies.
The absence of Vladimir Putin at this international meeting, nine months after the launch of the war in Ukraine, even more attention to the Chinese president, at the height of his power after obtaining a third historic term. This is his second trip abroad since the start of the pandemic, after a visit to Central Asia in September.
Ukraine in the background
For the past three years, the rivalry between the two largest world economies has intensified as China gained power and insurance, questioning American leadership and the geopolitical deal since the end of the Second War global. Monday’s interview on the sidelines of the G20 has hints of cold war and the White House spoke of the need to establish the “red lines” of the two countries to have “safeguards” and avoid tilting to a conflict, According to a White House official.
The two presidents have been maintained by phone or video five times since Mr. Biden entered the White House, but never face to face. Beijing wished on Monday that the interview will put bilateral relations “on the right track” on Monday. In addition to the refusal of China to condemn the Russian invasion, the two major powers are with knives drawn from questions ranging from human rights trade to the Chinese region of Xinjiang, passing through the status of Taiwan.
Joe Biden notably wants to push Beijing to play its influence to moderate North Korea, which has just carried out a record series of missile fire, seeming to prepare for 7 e nuclear test of nuclear test his history. Xi Jinping will probably not be ready to be understanding and this meeting should set the tone of the G20 summit, which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday. If Ukraine is not officially on the agenda, the war in which Russia has launched and its consequences on the food and energy markets will be in the background of all interviews.
poutine big absent
The Russian president, who is represented by his leader of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, will be the great absent of the meeting, which stands while the Russian army retired in the south of Ukraine. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, will be expressed by videoconferencing.
At least, Joe Biden and his allies want to send a clear message to Vladimir Putin at the top that a nuclear conflict is unacceptable. Any common text is likely to be blocked by the opposition of the Russians as well as the refusal of Beijing to deviate from the Russian position or to appear to concede ground in Washington. Host of the summit, Indonesia has already warned that we should not necessarily expect the traditional final communiqué final final which concludes this kind of encounters.
During a meeting with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the Indonesian president called for the “flexibility” of Europeans and the G7 to obtain an agreement. “I want a concrete result of the G20, which the world is waiting for” and “your support would be, once again, much appreciated,” said Joko Widodo, according to a press release.
Russia should be under pressure to extend an agreement allowing the export of cereals and fertilizers by the ports of the Black Sea, long blocked by the war in Ukraine, which arrives at November 19.