Historian and Hoover Institute senior fellow at Stanford University, Niall Ferguson, discusses the Biden administration’s approach to foreign adversaries in the Middle East and China’s expanding nuclear threat. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold an in-person meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, further fueling tensions between the two countries. The summit, taking place in San Francisco from November 14-17, will address the economic and geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China, particularly regarding advanced technologies and China’s military build-up.
While Xi’s attendance has yet to be confirmed, he is widely expected to be present at the summit. In addition to the official meeting, Xi is also expected to join American CEOs and business leaders for a dinner on November 15. This meeting comes amidst ongoing economic tensions between the two nations, with trade restrictions and tariffs on advanced tech and concerns over China’s use of subsidies for domestic industries.
The Biden administration has been cautious in downplaying prospects for a breakthrough in U.S.-China relations ahead of the Biden-Xi meeting. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen recently met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and emphasized that the U.S. does not desire to decouple from China, highlighting the potential economic disaster that such a separation would bring. Yellen also discussed U.S. national security restrictions on exports of advanced tech and investments in certain Chinese enterprises and industries.
However, the meeting between Biden and Xi is also overshadowed by China’s military build-up. Chinese leaders have asserted their right to forcibly “reunify” Taiwan with mainland China and have territorial disputes with Japan and the Philippines, both of which have mutual defense treaties with the U.S. Members of Congress have called on Biden to address human rights issues during the meeting, particularly the transnational repression of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) critics in the U.S. and the treatment of political prisoners.
It is worth noting that Biden and Xi previously met in November 2022 during the G20 Summit in Bali, where they acknowledged the need for more direct communication between U.S. and Chinese leadership.
In conclusion, the upcoming meeting between Biden and Xi at the APEC summit reflects the escalating economic and geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. As both nations vie for dominance in advanced technologies and grapple with military build-ups, the meeting could provide an opportunity for dialogue on various issues, including trade, national security, and human rights. However, the outcome and level of progress remain uncertain.
