U.S.-China summit makes progress…but Taiwan, tech sanctions, and other issues remain stalled.

Amidst a face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time in a year, minor achievements such as the resumption of military dialogue were achieved. However, the two leaders failed to narrow their differences over key issues such as the Taiwan problem, once again confirming the limits of bilateral relations.

According to Bloomberg, BBC, and other sources on the 15th (local time), the leaders of the U.S. and China held a summit in the Filoli Gardens near San Francisco, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting was held, and self-evaluated that they had achieved their minor goals. President Biden said, “It was one of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had,” and “We’ve made important progress.” President Xi also expressed satisfaction, saying that the conversation “has never been so smooth.”

In particular, the two leaders agreed that U.S.-China relations should move towards a more constructive relationship rather than confrontation and conflict. They agreed on the resumption of high-level military dialogue, climate cooperation, eradication of drugs (fentanyl), cooperation on artificial intelligence (AI) issues, maintenance of communication between leaders, and expansion of civil exchanges.

The U.S. achieved its main goal of resuming military dialogue at this summit. Military dialogue between the two countries had been completely suspended since last year’s visit to Taiwan by former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which had heightened concerns about unintended military clashes between the two countries in the South China Sea and other areas.

The U.S. also managed to secure a promise of cooperation from China in dealing with the fentanyl problem. The U.S. has been grappling with a significant social problem due to fentanyl, with approximately 75,000 deaths in just the last year. The promise of cooperation from China, which is making every effort to eradicate fentanyl inflows from China, is seen as a positive result for the U.S.

In addition to these issues, the U.S. and China agreed to cooperate in dealing with issues where the two countries’ positions align, such as climate change and AI regulation.
 

On the other hand, the two leaders discussed major issues such as the U.S.’s semiconductor sanctions against China and the Taiwan issue, but failed to narrow their differences.

President Xi pointed out that “the Taiwan issue has always been the most important and sensitive issue in China-U.S. relations,” and emphasized that “the U.S. should show its intention not to support ‘Taiwanese independence’ through concrete actions, stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful unification.”

He also mentioned that “the U.S. has seriously damaged China’s legitimate interests by continuing measures targeting China, such as export controls, investment reviews, and unilateral sanctions,” and “I hope that the U.S. will seriously accept China’s concerns, lift unilateral sanctions, and take measures to provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies.”

In response, President Biden gave a principled response that “the long-standing position of the United States is to maintain peace and stability,” and requested that China respect the election process in Taiwan’s general election next January. This suggests that he intends to continue to be involved in the Taiwan issue, contrary to China’s request.

He also indicated that he has no intention of stopping technology sanctions targeting China, such as semiconductors, and that he will not provide technology that could be used militarily against the U.S. to China.
 

Meanwhile, President Biden, in a press conference after the summit, answered “yes” when asked by a reporter whether he still considers President Xi a dictator. He said, “He is a dictator in that he runs a communist state based on a completely different form of government from ours.” When asked whether he trusted President Xi regarding Taiwan and the fentanyl issue, he replied, “We must trust but verify, as the old saying goes.”

Ultimately, despite some minor achievements, this meeting showed that there are fundamental limits to improving U.S.-China relations, according to critics.
 
The New York Times commented, “The Biden-Xi meeting had little progress beyond the promise to continue dialogue,” and “There was almost no progress on the issues that have driven the two countries into a phase of conflict.”