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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 14 noveMber 2022

Biden-Xi summit: What Biden wants, what Xi wants

Continued from Front since the conclusion of the straightforward discussions”
Community Party congress with Xi, and that has pre-
In a news conference in Beijing, during which Xi vented either of them from
shortly before leaving secured a norm-breaking “miscalculations” of their
Washington, Biden said he third term as leader, em- intentions.
wanted to “lay out … what powering him even further. The U.S. president will want
each of our red lines are, It’s a goal that will be much to send a message to Xi
understand what he be- more readily achieved in on White House concerns
lieves to be in the critical person, White House of- about China’s economic
national interests of China, ficials say, despite Biden practices. Taiwan is sure
what I know to be the criti- and Xi’s five video or phone to come up, and Biden
cal interests of the United calls during the U.S. presi- will want to emphasize to
States.” dent’s term. Xi that the U.S. will stand
That mission has become Biden told reporters on Sun- ready to defend the self- This combination image shows U.S. President Joe Biden in
all the more imperative day that he’s “always had governing island should Washington, Nov. 6, 2021, and China's President Xi Jinping in
Brasília, Brazil, Nov. 13, 2019.
Associated Press

it come under attack by ing in Bali and the meet-
China. Biden also will seek ing with Biden give China’s
to make clear his concerns most powerful leader in de-
about Beijing’s human cades a stage to promote
rights practices, as he has his country’s image as a
in their previous interac- global player and himself
tions. Biden will also use the as a history-making figure
meeting to press for a more who is restoring its rightful
aggressive posture from role as an economic and
Xi on Russia’s invasion of political force.
Ukraine. The Chinese leader China pursues “increas-
has largely refrained from ingly assertive foreign and
public criticism of Vladimir security policies aimed at
Putin’s actions while declin- changing the international
ing to actively aid Moscow status quo,” Kevin Rudd,
by supplying arms. a former Australian prime
“We believe that, of course, minister who is president
every country in the world of the Asia Society, wrote
should do more to prevail in Foreign Affairs. That
upon Russia, especially has strained relations with
those who have relation- Washington, Europe and
ships with Russia, to end this China’s Asian neighbors,
war and leave Ukraine,” but Xi is unfazed and looks
said U.S. national security set to be more ambitious
adviser Jake Sullivan. abroad.
Finally, U.S. officials say The meeting is “an im-
they’re eager to see where portant event of China’s
the two superpowers could head-of-state diplomacy
actually collaborate. toward the Asia Pacific,”
Though there are numerous said a foreign ministry
areas in which Biden and Xi spokesman, Zhao Lijian. He
won’t see eye to eye, the said Xi will “deliver an im-
White House has listed sev- portant speech” on eco-
eral issues where they con- nomic growth.
ceivably could, including Zhao called on the Biden
health, counternarcotics administration to “stop po-
and climate change. liticizing” trade and em-
FOR CHINA brace Beijing’s claim to sov-
Xi has yet to give a wish ereignty over Taiwan, the
list for talks with Biden, but self-ruled island democra-
Beijing wants U.S. action on cy that split with the main-
trade and Taiwan. land in 1949 and never has
Perhaps most importantly, been part of the People’s
the Group of 20 gather- Republic of China.q