On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to establish a presidential hotline, restore military-to-military conversations, and work to curb fentanyl manufacturing, indicating significant progress in their first face-to-face meetings in a year.
Biden and Xi met along the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.
I value the conversation I had today with President Xi because I think it's paramount that we understand each other clearly, leader to leader.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 15, 2023
There are critical global challenges that demand our joint leadership. And today, we made real progress. pic.twitter.com/rljB0Ow7JA
Curbing Fentanyl Production
According to a readout released by the White House, “The two leaders held a candid and constructive discussion on a range of bilateral and global issues including areas of potential cooperation and exchanged views on areas of difference.”
President Biden stated that Chinese leader Xi agreed to take action against Chinese companies producing chemical precursors for fentanyl.
The readout said, “they welcomed the resumption of bilateral cooperation to combat global illicit drug manufacturing and trafficking, including synthetic drugs like fentanyl, and establishment of a working group for ongoing communication and law enforcement coordination on counternarcotics issues.”
Biden believes that such an initiative will help counter “the evolving threat of illicit synthetic drugs and reduce the diversion of precursor chemicals and pill presses to drug cartels.”
After his meeting, Biden said at a press conference, “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciated President Xi’s commitment on this issue.”
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed China would stem the export of items related to the production of the opioid fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the United States https://t.co/rWJF12DM4H pic.twitter.com/JWVYFXwzvs
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 16, 2023
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that about 107,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2021, with opioids accounting for three-quarters of those deaths. The vast majority of opioid deaths were caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
According to a CDC report released earlier this year, the number of fentanyl overdose deaths in the US has nearly tripled between 2016 and 2021.
Resuming Military-to-Military Connections
Reports suggest that the key objective of the discussions between the two leaders appeared to be the restoration of communication lines, predominantly through the military, to avoid the kind of mistake or miscalculation that US officials fear may lead to open conflict.
“The two leaders welcomed the resumption of high-level military-to-military communication, as well as the U.S.-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks and the U.S.-China Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings,” the readout said.
Sources reveal that Biden made it “very clear” to Xi that such interactions between the US and China should be institutionalised and that they are “not done as a gift or as a favour to either side.”
#FPWorld: Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned US President Joe Biden to stop arming Taiwan adding that China’s reunification with the island nation was “unstoppable.”https://t.co/wmpFPBaiBw
— Firstpost (@firstpost) November 16, 2023
On AI, Regional, and Global Challenges
As per the readout, “the leaders affirmed the need to address the risks of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems and improve AI safety through US-China government talks.”
Biden stated that the US and China will discuss AI more thoroughly. “We’re going to get our experts together and discuss risk and safety issues,” he said.
Additionally, the two leaders discussed important regional and global issues. “President Biden underscored the US’ support for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient,” the readout stated.
Biden emphasised “the US’ enduring commitment to freedom of navigation and overflight, adherence to international law, maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
Discussion on Taiwan
President Biden stressed that “our one China policy has not changed and has been consistent across decades and administrations.” He reaffirmed that the US opposes “unilateral changes to the status quo from either side, that we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, and that the world has an interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”
However, Biden reaffirmed that the US will keep arming Taiwan to prevent China from reunifying the self-governing island with the mainland by force.
Other Areas of Discussion
President Biden reiterated that the US will continue to support Ukraine’s defence against Russian aggression to ensure that it emerges from this war as a nation capable of deterring and defending itself against future aggression.
Both leaders also discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict; Biden emphasised US support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists and highlighted the necessity of other countries using their influence to prevent the war from escalating and expanding.
Furthermore, Biden underscored the significance of human rights and the responsibility of all governments to uphold their international human rights obligations. He expressed concern over human rights violations in China, especially in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong.
President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that China does not have a plan to surpass or unseat the United States, and the United States should not scheme to suppress and contain China.
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) November 16, 2023
He made the remarks during a summit with US President Joe Biden at Filoli Estate, a country house… pic.twitter.com/rNbMKswDcx
Xi’s Statement
Xi encouraged both China and the US to adopt a new vision and work together to establish five pillars for bilateral ties, which include respecting each other, managing disagreements, cooperating in areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence, “jointly shouldering responsibilities as major countries,” and strengthening people-to-people ties.
He added, “China is consistently committed to having a stable, healthy and sustainable relationship with the US, and China has interests that must be safeguarded, principles that must be upheld, and red lines that must not be crossed.”
Xi stated that China and the US need to resolve differences effectively. “Disagreements should not be a chasm that keeps the two countries apart [...] They should have more communication, more dialogues and more consultations, and calmly handle their differences as well as accidents,” he said.
The Chinese president stated, “It is important to fully utilise the restored and new mechanisms in foreign policy, economy, finance, commerce, agriculture and other fields, and carry out cooperation in such areas as counternarcotics, judicial and law enforcement affairs, AI, and science and technology.”
Biden’s Statement
Meanwhile, the American leader described his meeting with Xi as “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”
“We built on groundwork” laid over the past several months of “high-level diplomacy between our teams,” Biden explained. “We made important progress.”
“We’re back to direct, open, clear direct communication on a direct basis,” Biden remarked.
Furthermore, the US president declared that he and Xi agreed to maintain high-level communication. “He and I agreed that each one of us can pick up the phone call directly and we’ll be heard immediately.”