Editorial | Xi-Biden talks open the door to more constructive ties that will benefit the world
- The leaders of China and the US may not have agreed on everything, but clearly both were certain about one thing: lines of communication must be kept open at all times
The summit between presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in San Francisco has opened a critical window of opportunity to put the bilateral relationship back on track. It followed a turbulent period since their last meeting a year ago, since which ties plunged to a new low.
With the United States now entering an election season, it is likely to have been their last chance to meet until at least 2025.
So this meeting was a chance to lay the foundations of the relationship for more than a year to come. It was important for the two sides to set the right tone.
There was no room for surprise upsets. Accordingly, they ensured the event was very carefully prepared and choreographed to avoid it being derailed by an unexpected incident.
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Nonetheless two events involving Hong Kong on the eve of the summit did nothing to help. The city’s government was compelled to issue a rebuttal of the “untruthful remarks and smears” in a US commission report that says Hong Kong has transformed into a mainland Chinese city due to Beijing’s interference.
