In a context of uncertainties linked to the re-election of Donald Trump, China “will endeavor to ensure a smooth transition” in its relations with the United States, said, Saturday, November 16, the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to his American counterpart, Joe Biden, during a final face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, in Lima .
Both countries should “continue to explore the right path” to get along and “achieve long-term peaceful coexistence”added, during the meeting, Mr. Xi, quoted by the state agency Xinhua, while the two leaders have been, since Thursday, in the Peruvian capital to participate in the 31e edition of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which brings together twenty-one economies accounting for 60% of the world's gross domestic product.
During this interview carried out on the sidelines of the event, Joe Biden also advocated the calming of relations between the two superpowers.
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“Our two countries cannot let this competition drift into conflict. It's our responsibility and, over the last four years, I think we've proven that it's possible to maintain this relationship.”he declared, without mentioning Donald Trump, to whom he will give up his place in the White House, in January 2025.
Relationships that have deteriorated
Without referring to the president-elect either, Xi Jinping declared that “China [était] ready to work with a new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences to strive for a smooth transition of China-US relations for the benefit of both peoples.” He warned that a stable relationship between China and the United States was essential not only for the two nations, but also for “the future and destiny of humanity”.
“Competition between large countries must not be the underlying logic of the times”Mr. Xi added. However, he stressed that Beijing's position, which consists of “firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, security and development interests has not changed.”
Ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, due to disagreements over trade, the status of Taiwan, human rights and technological competition. However, the bilateral dialogue was maintained as best it could. According to American officials, this third and final Biden-Xi face-to-face aimed to capitalize on the historic meeting which helped ease tensions a year ago, at the same annual APEC summit in San Francisco. .
In Lima, Joe Biden said to himself “proud of the progress made” to stabilize this relationship between Washington and Beijing. A bit nostalgic, he recalled how he had fun “counting the hours we spent alone, you and I”. “I remember being on the Tibetan plateau with you, and I remember being in Beijing and around the world, first as vice president and then as president”he said.
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“We haven’t always agreed, but our conversations have always been frank”added the outgoing president, stressing that they had been “honest with each other”. “And I think that’s essential. These conversations help avoid miscalculations and ensure that competition between our two countries does not turn into conflict.”added Joe Biden for one of his last major international outings.
“A moment of important political change”
The shadow of Donald Trump, who has already appointed hard-liners against Beijing to his team, hung over the discussions. During his campaign, the billionaire promised to protect American industry, threatening to impose tariffs of 10% to 20% on imported products and up to 60% on those from China.
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During his first term (2017-2021), he had already profoundly disrupted bilateral economic relations, by triggering a trade war to force Beijing to buy American products and rebalance trade.
Already on Friday, Xi Jinping had warned “against the rise of unilateralism and protectionism” and judged that the world was “entered a new period of turbulence and transformation”. Concern relayed by Joe Biden, who estimated, on the sidelines of a meeting with his allies in the Pacific region – Japan and South Korea – that “we have now reached a moment of significant political change”.
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