The four-hour meeting between the US and Chinese leaders was full of friendly gestures and overtures from both sides, and according to President Biden, it resulted in three outcomes: the resumption of military communications – the so-called hotline – between the superpowers, an anti-narcotics effort aimed at the fentanyl trade, and a defense of artificial intelligence. Establishment of expert group dialogue.
According to Miles Yu, He is an expert at the Hudson Institute think tank and a former adviser to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on China.These efforts will not bring significant changes.
“From China’s perspective, these meetings are not about solving any issues. Unlike most such meetings, we did not have any joint statement from the leaders, both sides had their own announcements, and regarding the long list of pre-existing issues. The meeting, Almost all remained unsolved“- says the expert in an interview with PAP. He points out that the announcements confirmed that the two sides are on a collision course on the main flashpoint of relations – the Taiwan issue. Similarly, there is no reason to count on a change in Beijing’s position on the war in Ukraine.
“On the one hand, China wants to give false confidence to Ukraine and present itself as a player who can play a role in ending the conflict. On the other hand, it can’t do that because it cannot affect relations with Putin. It is of strategic importance to Xi. . . and therefore no major involvement in the war or any constructive role in ending the conflict.” I didn’t expect it,” says Yu.
Although the White House spoke after the meeting about a deal to curb exports of fentanyl — a drug that kills tens of thousands of Americans each year — Beijing spoke of a “global anti-drug effort . . .”
He said that while China maintains a strict anti-narcotics policy within China and uses harsh punishments, it has allowed the smuggling of deadly drugs into the United States for years.
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“I was involved in these negotiations when I was in the Trump administration, and for a very long time the Chinese refused to do anything about it. This only changed in 2019, but only after a very strong threat from us,” he says. Former Officer. Although Beijing controls the trafficking of fentanyl, it still tolerates cartels that import the precursors needed to make the drug from China.
“Maybe this will change now, but I sincerely doubt it,” he added.
In his opinion, the specific outcome of the meeting near San Francisco was the restoration of military contacts between the superpowers, but in practice this would not mean much, and it was a “concession” to China that was easy for them.
“Beijing knows the Biden administration really cares about this. But what if no one answers the phone + the hotline +? Besides, China still doesn’t have a defense minister,” Yu says, referring to the situation after the mysterious dismissal. Former Minister Li Shangfu.
According to Yu, the summit near San Francisco is primarily a way for Xi Jinping to repair his image and status. In the face of growing discontent within the PRC.
“Many people in China are angry in light of the current problems, so he wants to send a signal home that he is still a respected leader on the world stage,” says Yu. “Xi is very eager to be seen as the new leader of the world wherever he appears. That is why he missed the G20 summit in India, where he will not play an important role. He cannot miss the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Community) San Francisco summit because it will become an anti-China conference. . But he doesn’t want to be one of the many participants, which is why he agreed to this summit with Biden with full fanfare,” the expert analyzes. .
When asked if the effect of the film was not spoiled by President Biden’s words, which again called the Chinese leader a dictator, Yu pointed out that Biden did not contextualize his previous statement on the matter.
“The Chinese constitution says Xi presides over the dictatorship of the proletariat. No one can really deny that he is a dictator. He is one almost by definition,” the expert says.