Biden Ahead of Meeting with Xi Jinping: "No Decoupling from China... Improving Relations"

U.S. President Joe Biden stated a day before his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping that "we are not trying to decouple (decoupling refers to separation of supply chains, etc.) from China," and added, "What we are trying to do is to improve the relationship."

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 14th (local time), after announcing an investment plan related to climate change response at the White House, President Biden responded to reporters' questions about the U.S.-China summit in this manner. He is scheduled to hold a face-to-face meeting with President Xi on the 15th in San Francisco on the occasion of attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This will be the second U.S.-China summit since his inauguration and the first face-to-face meeting in a year.

When asked about the criteria for a successful summit, President Biden replied, "Returning to normal channels of communication so that when a crisis arises, we can call each other and talk, and military authorities can contact each other." The U.S. has prioritized the resumption of the suspended military dialogue channels between the U.S. and China and has requested this from the Chinese side.

He also explained, "From my perspective, if the average Chinese person, the typical homeowner who is currently facing economic difficulties, has a decent-paying job, it benefits them and benefits all of us."

President Biden’s direct mention of the mutually beneficial aspects of economic exchange and his willingness to improve relations a day before the face-to-face meeting is interpreted as a sign of his intention to build constructive agreements with President Xi. Earlier, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also emphasized the policy of "not pursuing decoupling from China" during her meeting with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng.

However, President Biden also stressed the need to change existing trade and investment practices with China, saying, "We will not continue to support a situation where if we want to invest in China, we have to hand over all trade secrets." On the same day, he shared an anecdote about being asked how he would define America when he met President Xi in the past, to which he answered "possibility."

Meanwhile, the Biden administration released the fifth 'National Climate Assessment' report on the same day and announced it would invest more than $6 billion to strengthen resilience against climate change. This amount will be used for strengthening power grid infrastructure, mitigating flood risks, conserving natural environments, and promoting environmental justice.

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