Xi-Biden to hold first virtual summit today

China and the US will hold a virtual summit on the morning of November 16 (Beijing Time). The Chinese foreign ministry said that Chinese President Xi Jinping and the US President Joe Biden will have a candid and in-depth exchange of views on strategic issues related to the future of China-US relations and important issues of mutual concern. 

Chinese state media reported that China’s position and concerns over US policies on Taiwan will likely top the discussion agenda. As per reports, the situation in Afghanistan, bilateral trade, nuclear proliferation, and cybersecurity are likely to be discussed during the talks. The meeting will be the first one-on-one meeting between the two top leaders via video link since Joe Biden became US President in January. The two leaders have had two phone conversations, in February and September.

After the announcement on Saturday, Chinese state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi spoke to US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken and mentioned Beijing’s red lines about the Taiwan question and so did the state media. The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday said China firmly opposed the wrong words of US secretary of state Antony Blinken about the Taiwan region, which are



against the consensus reached between China and the US when the two countries established diplomatic ties.

Chinese Foreign ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian said on Monday, currently the Sino-US relations are at a critical crossroads. This video meeting is a major event in Sino-US relations as well as in international relations. Chinese state media was abuzz with reports ranging from the unlikelihood of any consensus on this question questioning US motivation, to seeing it as a chance to bring the already fraught relations back on track. 

China in recent months has sent an unprecedented number of planes into Taiwan’s air defense zone in a clear show of its intent. Tuesday’s Xi-Biden meeting will take place at a time when world leaders are struggling to deal with rapid developments in Afghanistan. US and China have locked horns over a range of issues ranging from trade ties to human rights and transparency over the origins of Covid-19 pandemic. 

China is also going to host Beijing Olympics amidst calls for diplomatic boycott over accusations of human rights violations mainly by western countries led by the US.