美中 ‘hotline’ opened…but Biden “won’t provide technology to fight US military” [BackBook Global].

On November 15th (local time), U.S. President Joe Biden (right) attended the U.S.-China summit held in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting near Woodside, California. He is seen listening to the remarks of Chinese President Xi Jinping (left). Source: AP/Yonhap News

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting for the first time in a year on November 15th (local time). The two leaders achieved significant outcomes, such as the restoration of the U.S.-China military dialogue channel. However, they confirmed significant differences over issues like advanced technology control and the Taiwan issue. Despite the tensions, the U.S.-China relationship, which had been on the brink of conflict, seems to have entered an ‘adjustment phase.’ Still, experts suggest that the fundamental aspect of competition between the two superpowers remains unchanged.

According to the White House and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Xi expressed strong dissatisfaction with U.S. export controls during the summit held near San Francisco. However, President Biden made it clear that he could not compromise on advanced technology.

President Xi stated, “The U.S. is seriously damaging China’s legitimate interests by continuously taking measures targeting China such as export controls, investment reviews, and unilateral sanctions. Suppressing China’s science and technology is an act of suppressing China’s development and depriving the Chinese people of their right to development.”

He also strongly urged a change in the U.S. attitude towards China’s technology, stating that “it is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other,” “the earth can accommodate both China and the U.S.,” and “plans to suppress or blockade China should not be made.”

However, President Biden made it clear that he would continue to control exports to China for national security reasons, stating, “We will not provide technology that can be used against the U.S. military to China.” He also pointed out that China’s infringement of corporate intellectual property rights is discouraging investment, and that the competition between the two countries is not fair. Amid the failure to find any compromise on major trade issues, Reuters reported that China is also opposing the U.S. proposal to include sustainability and inclusiveness in the trade and investment policy principles of APEC member countries.

On the Taiwan issue, President Xi urged, “The U.S. must implement its position of not supporting Taiwan’s independence through concrete actions,” and “It should stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful reunification.” He was requesting the cessation of arms sales to Taiwan, which the U.S. has been maintaining based on the Taiwan Relations Act and other unofficial relations. In particular, President Xi emphasized his will to unify Taiwan by saying, “China will definitely be unified.” In response, President Biden reaffirmed his respect for the ‘One China’ principle, stating, “The long-standing position of the U.S. is to maintain peace and stability,” and requested China to respect Taiwan’s electoral process. A U.S. senior official said, “President Xi tried to convey that China is not preparing for a large-scale invasion of Taiwan, but that does not change the U.S. approach.” The New York Times (NYT) reported, “The Taiwanese presidential election in January next year will be a test of tension between the two countries.”

Despite the conflicts on major issues, the two leaders achieved significant outcomes, such as △restoration of the military dialogue channel, △cooperation in drug (fentanyl) enforcement, and △promotion of AI-related expert dialogue.

A U.S. senior official reported that President Biden strongly urged President Xi that the two countries should institutionalize military-to-military dialogue, and President Xi agreed to the institutionalization. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that they agreed to resume high-level communication between the two militaries, practical meetings of the Defense Department, meetings of the Maritime Military Security Consultative Body, and phone calls at the commander level. As a result, the two countries agreed to hold a meeting between the newly appointed Chinese Defense Minister and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as soon as possible. President Biden explained the significance of this agreement, saying, “A serious misjudgment with China or any major country can cause a big problem.”

The two countries also agreed to jointly respond to the illegal manufacture and smuggling of drugs, including fentanyl, which is a serious problem in American society. President Biden thanked President Xi for his commitment to this issue, saying, “We will save lives.” Although the cooperation in the AI field did not reach the initially expected ‘prohibition of AI use in nuclear weapon management,’ it is significant that the two sides opened a dialogue for the first time.

The U.S. and Chinese media and experts have given a relatively positive assessment of the meeting, saying it prevented a catastrophe in the relations between the two countries. Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, said, “China does not see this meeting as a turning point in U.S.-China relations,” but “it has symbolic significance in easing tensions between the two countries.” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) evaluated, “It will be the last meeting between the two leaders before next year’s U.S. election,” and “This gave a strong motivation to make this meeting a prelude to improving relations.” Meanwhile, the White House announced through a press release that President Biden emphasized his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the ironclad defense commitment to Indo-Pacific allies such as Korea and Japan to President Xi on the day.