President Xi Jinping’s diplomatic finesse and commitment to peaceful engagement amid US-China tensions showcase a path towards global cooperation and shared progress.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decision to visit the United States to attend the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is being hailed in the diplomatic circles as it paved the way for a crucial summit with US President Joe Biden in the backdrop of frosty relations between the two superpowers. The two leaders agreed on a range of measures directly or indirectly linked to the regional and global peace, security and progress, reflecting a movement forward in their first face-to-face talks in a year.
The remarks made by the two leaders during their talks and afterwards give a broad hint of the intentions of their countries and the need for meaningful bilateral engagement. “For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option,” Xi said in his opening remarks. “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.” And President Biden emphasized “We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict’” “Critical global challenges we face, from climate change to counternarcotics to artificial intelligence, demand our joint efforts.”
No doubt, the two countries still disagree on several critical issues but their understanding to resume military cooperation augurs well not only for China and the United States but also the rest of the world as now the leaders of the two nations would be able to pick up phone and talk to each other in case of a potential conflict or misunderstanding. Maintaining open lines of communication between two militaries is essential to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations that could lead to a crisis or a conflict.
It is a matter of record that the Chinese leadership pursued a policy of extreme restraints in the face of persistent provocations from the US side on economic, diplomatic and strategic issues. President Xi and President Biden met one year back in Bali, Indonesia, with understanding to increase mutual interaction at different levels but the progress was scuttled when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon off the east coast on February 14 labeling it as a spy balloon. China, however, asserted that it was for weather research and not espionage. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the US action as violations of international norms, adding “to have dispatched an advanced fighter jet to shoot down a balloon with a missile, such behaviour is unbelievable, almost hysterical.” The US is also not entertaining a legitimate demand of China to return the debris, which is seen by diplomatic circles as yet another provocation.
During the latest summit, the US President tried to assuage concerns of China on Taiwan issue by reiterating that the United States believes in one China but at the same time maintained his country would continue to provide military support to Taiwan. The Chinese leader told his US counterpart that the Island was part of China, the US should stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful unification which was unstoppable. This was unambiguous message to the United States, which earlier escalated tension on the issue when the then-US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, leading to halt of the military ties between China and the United States.
As for divergence of economic views, President Xi was categorical in conveying that stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development, adding China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces. Xi noted the export controls, investment reviews and sanctions in the meeting, and called for the U.S. to lift the sanctions and provide a non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies. It may be pointed out that in August, President Biden issued an executive order curbing U.S. investment in the Chinese semiconductor, quantum computing and artificial intelligence sectors. The administration argued these products could have military applications. Shortly after the new investment restrictions were announced, China slapped export restrictions on two key minerals essential to semiconductor production — gallium and germanium. A special export license is now required to obtain these minerals. It all shows China only reacts and that too in a limited and responsible manner to keep the tension under check.
The two sides also exchanged views on the AI, the latest technology leading the world to a new era of technological development but these could not crystallize into some tangible understanding or the mode of cooperation. There was progress in efforts to tackle the production of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is alleged to be the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US.
Diplomatic circles observe that despite a series of provocative actions from the United States, President Xi, as usual, exercised the extreme level of restraints as per his vision of peace and shared prosperity that became the genesis of his historic Belt and Road Initiative. He received with open arms US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing in June, who was the highest-ranking Washington official to visit the Chinese capital in almost half a decade. He also received business leaders including Bill Gate in Beijing.
The two countries, which are the world’s biggest carbon emitters, agreed on further measures to tackle climate change, but stopped short of committing to end the use of fossil fuels. They promised to co-operate to slow methane emissions – a particularly potent greenhouse gas – and support global efforts to triple renewable energy by 2030. Both countries backed a new renewable energy target and said they would work to reduce methane and plastic pollution, a renewal of climate cooperation that was also a casualty of Pelosi’s Taiwan visit.
There were, of course, differences on the Middle-East situation on which China has a principled position in line with the UN resolutions but the United States single-mindedly supports the Jewish State which is currently engaged in a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. China calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas but the United States is vetoing Security Council resolutions on the issue.
The difference of opinion and approach on regional and global disputes is also in line with the national strategies of the two countries. The US has been one of the causes of the conflicts in the world whereas China is widely regarded as a champion of co-existence and cooperative engagement. The world can turn into an oasis of peace if the United States and other powerful countries also emulate the policies of peaceful co-existence and sharing of fruits of progress and development, as is being done by China under the dynamic leadership of President Xi Jinping.
