During his last interaction with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Biden had an opportunity to address conflicts in areas ranging from cybercrime to trade, Taiwan, the South China Sea, and Russia. Instead of taking a strong stance, Biden displayed a lackluster approach, presenting no major breakthroughs or substantial responses. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping publicly affirmed his commitment to working with the incoming Trump administration after the election.
Biden’s interaction with the Chinese leader occurred on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru. The meeting, which lasted about two hours, was the first conversation between the two leaders in seven months. Instead of emphasizing the need for a stronger stance against China, Biden seemed to downplay the challenges in the relationship, referring to the ‘ups and downs’ between the two nations.
In the face of President-elect Trump’s expected toughness on trade, including plans for imposing a substantial 60% tariff on Chinese imports, Beijing has been predictably resistant. Biden, however, seemed to have used this meeting as an opportunity to soothe tensions rather than assert American interests, indicating a compliant approach toward China rather than the much-needed assertive one.
The lack of significant progress in these negotiations serves as a clear indication of Biden’s negligence to address the intrinsic complexities of the Sino-American relationship. The meeting came up short on viable results, with no major breakthroughs on critical issues like technology, trade, or territory disputes.
While the meeting did muster an agreement that decisions regarding nuclear weapons should remain in human hands rather than being handed over to artificial intelligence, it still fell short on other important concerns. Notably, Biden let slip the opportunity to address concerns over North Korea, China’s ally, which has been strengthening ties with Russia and deploying troops in Ukraine – an action that rightfully raises concerns among many nations.
Rather than firmly challenging the paradox of China’s position on the war in Ukraine against its allied North Korean troops, Biden only gently pointed out its contradiction. Moreover, despite publicly admonishing the expansion of the conflict, China’s influence and capacity to prevent further escalation appeared to be unrecognized by the outgoing President.
The meeting also glossed over key issues, with no groundbreaking confrontations or resolutions. Problems such as China-linked hacking of U.S. government telephone communications, Beijing applying pressure on Taiwan and in the South China Sea, and China’s tacit support for Russia were inadequately addressed during the talks.
Biden did raise concerns about Americans being held in China, though it remains unclear whether he pushed the issue strongly enough or if any progress was made. Regarding Taiwan, the talks, as expected, ended with a harsh exchange of words, with Biden making some weak attempts to call out Beijing’s troubling military activity around the island.
Xi responded by denouncing the ‘separatist activities’ of Lai Ching-te, the Taiwanese President. Lai’s upcoming visit to the U.S., thought to be a potential trigger for Beijing’s ire, was acknowledged but not sufficiently defended by Biden. Such lackadaisical handling provides further evidence of the Biden administration’s wavering stance on contentious issues.
China continues to perceive Taiwan, an independent, democratically governed entity as its own. Despite the absence of official diplomatic recognition, the U.S. is Taiwan’s principal international supporter and arms supplier. Biden, however, failed to assert the U.S.’s unwavering support for Taiwan during the discussions.
Simultaneously, Biden’s measures on trade, including restricting U.S. investments in China’s artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and semiconductor sectors, are only marginally impacting Beijing’s economy. While billed as essential for U.S. national security, these measures evidently fail to significantly impede China’s economic growth or its ambitions.
During the course of the meeting, Xi dismissed accusations of China’s involvement in cyber-attacks, without Biden putting significant muscle behind the allegations. In addition, Xi blatantly recommended that the U.S. should avoid meddling in the disputed Spratly Islands, raising further questions about Biden’s willingness to stand up to China.
While Biden’s lackluster approach continued, Xi emphasized the need for both countries to shelve differences and denied Beijing’s expansive maritime claims over the South China Sea – aspects that should have been firmly countered. Instead, these key concerns were left unaddressed, indicating the passive nature of Biden’s interaction with Xi on this important forum.
Finally, Xi embarked on a diplomatic tour of Latin America, undertaking key strategic initiatives that included a free-trade agreement with Peru and opening a giant deep-water harbor. The whole situation left Biden appearing both uninspired and unimpressive. Whilst Beijing continues its international diplomacy and expansion, Washington, under the Biden administration, seems unable to effectively counter China’s growing influence.