"US-China Summit Hints at Potential Conflict" "Improving Relations Difficult"… US Media Reactions

Bloomberg "Difficult to Restore Relations"
WP "Biden at Risk of Falling into Xi Jinping's Trap"

As the U.S. and Chinese leaders, accelerating the global hegemony competition, met again after a year, American media directly criticized that China would "try to exploit President Joe Biden's policy of easing toward China." The meeting was arranged as the interests of President Biden, facing next year's presidential election, and President Xi Jinping, experiencing an economic recession, aligned, but fundamentally, it was expected not to serve as a breakthrough to ease tensions between the two countries.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) evaluated, "The two leaders mentioned a general conviction that much can be achieved when the two countries work together through somewhat stiff and cautious remarks," adding, "But they hinted at fears that conflicts could arise if confrontations over Taiwan, the South China Sea, technology, and China's support for Russia worsen."

Both sides agreed during this summit to restore military dialogue channels and crack down on fentanyl. However, they revealed differences in views regarding semiconductor export controls to China and the Taiwan issue. NYT pointed out the restoration of U.S.-China military dialogue as an example, stating, "President Biden is trying to use the rebuilding of military dialogue channels as a breakthrough, but this dialogue has existed since the George W. Bush administration."

Bloomberg News, in an article titled "President Biden and President Xi Meet Today, But Is Thawing Possible?" predicted that despite the U.S.-China summit held after a year, the frozen relations between the two countries would not easily thaw. The outlet noted, "The meeting between President Biden and President Xi was self-assessed as successful even before it took place," and added, "To get to this point, (U.S.) officials had to avoid friction over concerns about China’s stance on technology, trade, human rights, the Taiwan issue, and the Ukraine war." It further pointed out that relations worsened after the U.S.-China summit held a year ago in Bali, Indonesia, due to incidents like the reconnaissance balloon affair, and questioned "how long and meaningful the easing of tensions from this meeting will last."

The U.S. daily The Washington Post (WP) published a column by foreign policy and security specialist Josh Rogin titled "President Biden Risks Falling Into President Xi’s Trap." He wrote, "President Biden claims they are good friends and that foreign policy is a private matter, but Biden’s rosy view of this friendship may not be grounded in reality," and pointed out, "Whether President Xi considers Biden a friend or tries to exploit Biden’s policy of easing toward China, the evidence points to the latter."

Rogin warned to be cautious of the predecessor’s trap. He noted that President Xi promised not to militarize the South China Sea when meeting former President Barack Obama in 2015 and made a similar agreement with President Trump in 2019, but ultimately China did not keep its promises.

Rogin stated, "President Biden mentioned improving relations with President Xi, but Xi’s goals are different," adding, "He wants to lure the U.S. into a false sense of security while dominating the region and accelerating plans to change the world order for China’s benefit." He emphasized, "While talking is better than not talking, President Biden must realize that President Xi is not a friend," and "The best way to avoid conflict is to show President Xi that he will not fall into the same trap as his predecessors."

The LA Times predicted that China has taken a deceptive attitude on human rights and climate issues and that the U.S. cannot bring about change in China. The outlet wrote, "The U.S.-China summit will not move President Xi," and "Based on previous records of dialogue with the Chinese government, the U.S. should not have high hopes for rational conversations with China." It stressed, "The U.S. government must find ways to apply meaningful pressure on the regime," and "The U.S. and its allies should use economic power to punish China’s forced labor and abuse issues."

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