Now all that\u2019s left is the meeting itself \u2013 and the hope that this high-stakes event will help stabilise the relationship between the US and China, which has been rocky for years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden shaking hands at the G20 last year.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n When US President Joe Biden greets Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of APEC in San Francisco on Wednesday (US time), it will be the first time the leaders have met for face-to-face talks in about a year.<\/p>\n Issues such as the Chinese spy balloon scandal and the theft of sensitive technology, along with former speaker Nancy Pelosi\u2019s contentious trip to Taiwan last year, have all been flashpoints in an increasingly fraught relationship between the world\u2019s two largest economies.<\/p>\n While the summit won\u2019t end the stand-off between them, it will nonetheless be a sign that Biden and Xi want to maintain ties, despite lingering tensions over trade, sanctions, and the future of the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n Here are five things the two leaders are likely to discuss.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing Biden will want to achieve from his meeting with Xi, it\u2019s the re-establishment of military-to-military communication between the two countries.<\/p>\n China suspended regular contact with the US military in August last year, after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, despite Beijing threatening repercussions.<\/p>\n But the contact began eroding long before Pelosi defiantly stepped onto the tarmac in Taipei.<\/p>\n Nancy Pelosi\u2019s 2022 Taiwan trip inflamed tensions between China and the US.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Indeed, US officials say that China has not responded to multiple Department of Defence requests for top-level dialogues since 2021.<\/p>\n The US views military contact as crucial to avoiding any missteps that could result in a war, particularly across the Asia-Pacific, where China has ramped up its efforts to militarise man-made islands in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving our two militaries in communication is the way you reduce mistakes, you avoid escalation, and you manage competition, so it doesn\u2019t veer into conflict,\u201d said Biden\u2019s national security adviser Jake Sullivan.<\/p>\n <\/strong>It\u2019s the deadliest drug in America: 50 times more powerful than heroin and responsible for almost 74,000 overdose deaths last year alone.<\/p>\n But in a potential breakthrough, Wednesday\u2019s meeting could result in a crackdown on fentanyl under a deal that would lead to China going after chemical companies, while the US would lift restrictions on China\u2019s forensic institute.<\/p>\n A protester reacts as delegates from China exit the St Regis Hotel on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Bloomberg<\/cite><\/p>\n Fentanyl largely comes into the US thanks to China, which produces most of the source chemicals used to make the synthetic drug. It is then mass-produced in Mexico and enters America via drug cartels.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t get too far ahead of the meeting, and I\u2019ll let the president speak for himself after he has the chance to meet with President Xi,\u201d Sullivan said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we believe that there are areas where our interests overlap, like our efforts to combat the illicit fentanyl trade.\u201d<\/p>\n As Xi Jinping was en route to the US for his first visit since 2017, tens of thousands of demonstrators were gathering at Washington\u2019s National Mall for a \u201cMarch for Israel\u201d rally on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The protest came as the latest Middle East conflict entered its sixth week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rejecting calls for a ceasefire and Biden is under growing pressure in the US \u2013 and among the APEC nations \u2013 to \u201cdo more\u201d to stop the carnage in Gaza.<\/p>\n Tens of thousands of Americans attended the March for Israel in Washington on Tuesday.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>AP<\/cite><\/p>\n Against this backdrop, and alongside the ongoing war in Ukraine, Biden will attempt to convince Xi that it\u2019s in his interest to use China\u2019s leverage with Iran and Russia to help contain the conflicts.<\/p>\n 2024 will be a big year for elections, with the US set to go to the polls in November, and Taiwan\u2019s presidency up for grabs in January.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth could inject more uncertainty into the bilateral relationship,\u201d says Bonny Lin, the director of the China Power Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n The US has a long-standing \u201cOne China\u201d policy, which recognises formal ties with China rather than the island of Taiwan.<\/p>\n The policy also acknowledges that there is only one Chinese government.<\/p>\n At the same time, Biden has sent mixed signals on where he stands, which has exacerbated tensions.<\/p>\n To that end, China \u2013 which views Taiwan as its own \u2013 is likely to push Biden for additional reassurances that the US does not support Taiwanese independence.<\/p>\n Biden, meanwhile, will underscore US concerns about Beijing\u2019s military activities around Taiwan and \u201cset out a vision for peace and stability and the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait\u201d.<\/p>\n For the past year, the US has imposed sweeping restrictions on technology exports to China in a bid to thwart American chips and equipment from strengthening the country\u2019s military.<\/p>\n Needless to say, Beijing has bristled over the export controls, accusing Washington of trying to suppress Chinese companies.<\/p>\n \u201cThe US needs to stop politicising and weaponising trade and tech issues and stop destabilising global industrial and supply chains,\u201d China\u2019s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said last month after a new round of rules were announced, this time in relation to AI chips.<\/p>\n Xi will use the meeting as a way to shift the trajectory, while Biden is expected to defend the US\u2019 position, while at the same time, seek to assure Xi that he is not trying to wage an economic war.<\/p>\n \u201cThe United States does not seek to decouple from China,\u201d Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at APEC on Monday. \u201cWe have no interest in such a divided world and its disastrous effects.\u201d<\/p>\n Get a note directly from our foreign <\/i><\/b>correspondents <\/i><\/b>on what\u2019s making headlines around the world. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nRe-establishing military communications<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Combating fentanyl<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The wars in Gaza and Ukraine<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Taiwan<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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