Biden to Meet Xi Jinping Today... Pressuring China on North Korea Nuclear Issue and Ukraine War

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina, Bali (Indonesia)=Reporter Lee Gimin, Reporter Bae Gyeonghwan] On the 14th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden will hold his first face-to-face summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the occasion of the Group of Twenty (G20) summit. While seeking clues to improve the frozen bilateral relationship, he is expected to pressure China on its ‘role’ regarding major global issues such as North Korea’s nuclear program and the Ukraine war. South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is touring Southeast Asia, has also entered the G20-related schedule, drawing attention to whether a Korea-China summit will take place.

According to the White House, the U.S. and Chinese leaders, who arrived in Bali, Indonesia to attend the G20 summit, are scheduled to meet for about two hours from 5:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. Korean time) on the same day. Key agenda items at this meeting will include bilateral trade and economic issues, the Taiwan issue, the Ukraine war, North Korea’s nuclear issue, climate change, and health cooperation.

Ahead of the meeting, President Biden has already clearly conveyed the message that he wants "competition, not conflict" with China. Regarding major issues that have drawn a parallel line of conflict, the two leaders have expressed their intention to have sincere dialogue and identify a kind of ‘red line’.

Strong pressure is also expected in areas that are effectively U.S. red lines. For example, immediately after the U.S. confirmed the meeting schedule, it announced that North Korea’s nuclear issue would be addressed at this summit and stated, "If North Korea continues provocations, we will increase U.S. troops stationed in Northeast Asia." This is interpreted as a request to China, which has been wary of the expansion of U.S. military presence in Northeast Asia amid the imminent seventh nuclear test by North Korea, to restrain North Korean provocations.

The prolonged Ukraine war is also expected to be an area where China’s role will be called upon. China has previously shown a pro-Russian stance by voting against UN resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend this G20 summit.

The U.S.-China summit is taking place after both leaders have completed domestic political events directly related to their positions at home, and it is evaluated as an opportunity to gauge the direction of U.S.-China relations in the latter half of Biden’s administration and Xi’s third term. The day before, when asked if he felt stronger after the Senate election victory ahead of the meeting with President Xi, President Biden said, "I know I’m going into the meeting stronger," but added, "I don’t need that."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

President Yoon, who arrived in Bali, has also entered the G20-related schedule. Over two days, he is expected to fully participate in the B20 Summit, which includes economic organizations and business leaders from G20 member countries, as well as the G20 summit schedule. According to the presidential office, in his keynote speech at the B20 Summit, President Yoon plans to diagnose that "this global complex crisis has been driven more by supply-side shocks than demand-side factors, unlike in the past," and emphasize that "the solution to the crisis must shift from government-led policy responses to private sector-led supply-side innovation." He will also stress that "the core of private sector-led supply-side innovation lies in ‘digital transformation (DX).’"

Attention is also focused on whether the first face-to-face meeting between President Yoon and President Xi will take place during the G20 summit. However, at present, there is also the possibility that it will be a poolside (informal) meeting or a standing conversation rather than a formal summit. A senior official from the presidential office was cautious about the Korea-China summit, saying, "We need to wait and see." The G20 summit will be held until the 17th, but President Yoon will attend only until the 15th and then return home late at night.

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