China is ready to work with the new US administration to ensure a “smooth transition” in bilateral tiesthe president declared Xi Jinping to the outgoing US president Joe Biden when today they met for the last time before Donald Trump’s return to the White House. China “will strive for a smooth transition” in search of a relationship”stable, healthy and sustainable” with the United States, Xi said as the two sat down for talks in a hotel in the Peruvian capital.
Their highly anticipated face-to-face it happened after Trump’s electoral victory over the Democrat Kamala Harris sparked fears of new trade wars and diplomatic upheavals, which dominated the Lima summit. THEhe Republican billionaire’s comeback has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the efforts as well – started on the occasion of a historic meeting between Xi and Biden in California a year ago – pto ease tensions between Washington and Beijing.
White House, delicate transition period
The White House had said that today’s Xi-Biden bilateral would focus on a “delicate transition period” and on ensuring that competition with China “it doesn’t lead to a conflict”. Xi also told Biden that China is “ready to work with the new US administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences.”
Xi and Biden, who met for the third time in total, have separately warned in recent days that there are choppy waters in a time of global uncertainty. Today the Chinese president reiterated concerns about the growing “protectionism” and urged APEC countries to “unite and cooperate”. Yesterday Biden said that the world has “a moment of significant political change has been reached”.
Trump and the confrontational approach towards Beijing
Trump has signaled a confrontational approach to Beijing, threatening tariffs of up to 60% on imports of Chinese goods to equalize what, in his opinion, is a commercial imbalance. He also appointed two major China hawks to his top team, including Marco Rubio as Secretary of State. Biden is trying to salvage his foreign policy legacy as much as possible and yesterday met with the leaders of Japan and South Korea, key US allies in Asia.
Biden said the strong ties between the three countries they are essential for “counter North Korea’s dangerous and destabilizing cooperation with Russia”, while Pyongyang sends troops to fight in Ukraine. The return of Trump’s “America First” policies threatens the alliances Biden has built on issues ranging from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to climate change and trade. During his first term, Trump threatened to cut U.S. defense commitments to Asian and European allies if they did not shoulder a greater share of the financial burden to protect them.
Economists, the consequences of the tycoon’s punitive tariffs
Economists have warned that Trump’s punitive tariffs would harm not only China’s economy, but also those of the United States and its trading partners. They could also endanger geopolitical stability. China is strengthening its military capacity while increasing pressure on self-ruled Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory. The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Xi and Biden will also discuss Taiwan and tensions in the South China Seaand, where Beijing claims large portions of maritime territory. The Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “serious concerns about the growing activity of the Chinese military” in a meeting with Xi at the APEC summit, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said.
Concerns about Trump’s next moves continue to cast a shadow over the international diplomatic agenda in the ongoing climate talks in Azerbaijan and for the summit of the G20 in Rio de Janeiro next week, which Biden and Xi will also attend.
