Biden and Xi Jinping's First Summit Meeting of the Year (Comprehensive)

US Demands In-Person Talks, China Prefers Video Conference
Will This Mark a New Turning Point in US-China Conflict?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min, Beijing=Correspondent Jo Young-shin] U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first summit via video conference. As this is the first meeting since the Biden administration took office, attention is focused on whether it will mark a new turning point in U.S.-China tensions.

Interest is also growing over whether the U.S. and China, which have been at an impasse on North Korea-related issues such as easing sanctions and a declaration to end the war, will reach any form of agreement through this summit.

A senior U.S. official announced on the 6th (local time) that after a six-hour meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, between Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, and Yang Jiechi, Chinese Politburo member in charge of foreign affairs, the two countries agreed to hold a video summit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to Xinhua News Agency, although the two Politburo members did not mention the agreement on the summit, they agreed during the meeting to properly manage conflicts and avoid clashes and confrontations.

The U.S. official described the upcoming summit as "part of efforts to responsibly manage competition between the two countries," adding, "The meeting between the two leaders, who have had relations since their times as second-in-command of their administrations, will be an important step toward improving bilateral relations."

The U.S. had wanted an in-person meeting, but since President Xi did not attend the G20 summit citing COVID-19 concerns, the plan shifted to a video conference. The U.S. side did not specify the exact date of the summit but indicated it would be decided within a few days.

The White House explained that during the high-level talks, Advisor Sullivan conveyed concerns about China’s actions regarding human rights and Taiwan, as well as common challenges such as climate change, describing the meeting as very productive.

An official said that Sullivan "spoke very frankly" about the Taiwan issue. Both sides focused on having substantive discussions by addressing sensitive topics in private.

The agenda discussed in this meeting is likely to be covered in the summit as well. Discussions on trade conflicts between the two countries and tensions in the Indo-Pacific region are also expected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.