On Tuesday, President Joe Biden expressed his intention to re-establish normal interactions between the US and China, including military communications, during his upcoming discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. This statement came as Biden concluded his address on climate change at the White House.
Biden, emphasizing his commitment to enhancing US-China relations, is scheduled to meet Xi Jinping on Wednesday in the vicinity of San Francisco, coinciding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. This encounter marks only their second face-to-face meeting since Biden’s inauguration in January 2021.
Responding to inquiries about his expectations for the talks with Xi Jinping, Biden outlined his objectives: “To get back on a normal course, corresponding and being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another in a crisis, and being able to make sure that our militaries still have contact with one another.”
The President also mentioned the importance of economic opportunities for the average Chinese citizen but firmly stated, published in Reuters, “But I’m not going to continue to sustain support for a position where in order to invest in China, we have to turn over all our trade secrets.”
It’s noteworthy that Beijing cut off military ties with the US in August 2022 following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. Relations between Washington and Beijing further strained after Biden’s decision to shoot down a Chinese surveillance balloon over US territory in February of this year.
