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Last week, President Joe Biden and China leader Xi Jinping met in Bali for three hours in their first face-to-face talk since Biden became president. According to Biden, the two leaders were “very blunt with one another” and that “there need not be a new Cold War.” Straight Arrow News contributor Larry Lindsey breaks down their discussion and explains the signs pointing to Xi having the upper hand in the relationship.
President Biden and Chinese First Secretary of the Communist Party, Xi Jinping, had their first face-to-face meeting since Biden became president, in Bali.
Now, you watch the spin on our news, but to understand the totality of what happened, you have to watch what both sides were saying. You have to separate out pablum and wishfulness versus direct statements and results.
So let’s start with the American side.
The president went out and said that based on his conversations, he has doubts that there will be any imminent invasion of Taiwan, quote, “I don’t believe there’s a need for concern about a new Cold War. I don’t believe,” he said. Another line: “I sought to convince Xi that a nuclear North Korea is not in China’s interest.” Finally on Xi, Biden said Xi was the way he’s always been — direct and straightforward. And finally, to top it all off, Biden volunteered because of the better than expected showing in the elections, quote, “I know I’m coming in stronger, but I don’t need that.”
But keep those in mind. Now, as far as the political “coming in stronger,” Xi said nothing about that. But Xi is coming in much, much stronger than he was. He had just gotten an unprecedented third term as head of the party. He is the strongest Chinese leader since Mao. And to show his strength, he publicly humiliated his predecessor, Hu Jintao, by having him effectively arrested from the seat next to him in the middle of the Party Congress. This is a man who basically eats 80-year-old heads-of-state for lunch — and enjoys it.
