The White House is preparing to hold a bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to administration officials. The newspaper reported that the leaders of the major powers could negotiate at the APEC summit in San Francisco next November CNN.
According to the newspaper, there is also a possibility that the meeting will fail, as the Chinese President has not yet clarified whether he will actually participate in the summit in California. American officials are confident that the two countries will be able to resolve the disputes that have arisen. Joe Biden recently said he hopes to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping soon.
Washington and Beijing are working to restore relations, but military and economic tensions remain deep.
In recent years, a number of unpleasant situations have deepened the conflict between America and China. In addition to trade and human rights disputes, the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, espionage accusations, and Taiwanese independence were among the prominent issues. In June, Joe Biden kept referring to Xi as a “dictator,” which also blew the fuse in Beijing.
Biden last met in person with the Chinese President last November during the G20 summit on the island of Bali. At that time, the two leaders still had high hopes for restoring relations.
The situation between China and the Philippines has also become increasingly tense
As Index reported, there were international protests in August when a Chinese Coast Guard ship fired water cannons at two Filipino ships in the South China Sea. A video of the incident was also found, which has since been circulated in the international press. According to analysts, such incidents could further aggravate the tense situation in the region even if it is dormant.
On Wednesday, a BBC correspondent witnessed Chinese Coast Guard ships blocking the sea route in front of ships coming from the Philippines.
As writtenThe Chinese called on the Filipino ships to leave, and they continued on after the message. In response, Chinese coast guard ships imposed a blockade. The merchant ships were eventually forced to turn back.
In the region, the Philippines and China have long disagreed over which country’s exclusive economic zone some areas belong to, or whether they are considered international waters. One of the biggest “battles” is over the Spartli Islands, which are claimed by Malaysia, the Sultanate of Brunei, and the Republic of China (Taiwan), in addition to China and the Philippines. According to the 2016 international arbitration ruling, the territory belongs to the Philippines.
China has been creating artificial islands for nearly half a decade, as the area is strategically important for its control of the South China Sea.
