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Presidents Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden shake hands at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022.

Fifth Estate

The red lines and the red flags in China-U.S. relations

While the world anticipated outcomes of the meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his United States (U.S.) counterpart, Joe Biden, prior to the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in Bali, Indonesia on Monday, the Western media misrepresented the balance of power between the two global leaders.

As usual, the one-sided narratives focused on Biden’s cracking the whip on Xi. On November 13, for instance, “The Guardian” proclaimed that “Joe Biden will seek to establish U.S.-China red lines in Xi Jinping talks”, saying the U.S. leader was expected to rein in Beijing to do more in containing North Korea and curbing carbon emissions.

Biden was also expected to warn China on restricting movement in the South China Sea and against any attempt to reclaim Taiwan. But there was a reason for such haughtiness. The article attributed Biden’s overconfidence to alleged military breakthrough in Ukraine, and the retention of the U.S. Senate by the Democrats in the just concluded mid-term elections.

The impression given was one of an extremely skewed relationship between the two leaders and their countries, obviously with Xi depicted as a lame duck. The latter’s voice in the geopolitical scheme of things was solely lacking, not even a right of response.

This was the first face-to-face meeting between the two global leaders since Biden became president. Significantly, Xi was reelected president for a third term during the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October.

It would have been fair for the Western media to also publish Xi’s grievances against the U.S., ranging from the latter’s unfair trade practices, interference in China’s internal affairs – including meddling in Taiwan – embargoes on Chinese technology, and blatant misinformation campaigns against Chinese intentions.

The meeting was also held in the backdrop of the unrelenting COVID-19 pandemic, whose burden seems to have fallen more on the shoulders of China after the U.S. and other major countries, particularly in the West, turned into major COVID deniers. The world is also reeling from the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and its uncertainties for world peace, and the building up of a global recession.

But, alas! The body language between Xi and Biden betrayed the doom and gloom painted by the Western media. The warm handshake and amiable demeanor did not betray any suspicion of skullduggery in any of the leaders. Rather, they expressed a sincere yearning to close ranks and work together, at least for the sake of world peace and development. They understood the whole world was watching their conduct at the meeting of the most powerful nations in the world.

Undoubtedly, and may be inevitably, the U.S. and China are strategic rivals. But the world cannot afford to have a major conflict between the U.S. and China. The repercussions of a war between two of the most powerful countries in the world in all respects are too dire to fathom. Experts say that the security, social and economic impact of a U.S.-China war would be tenfold what the world is experiencing as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war.

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For instance, the U.S. power games over Taiwan has led to massive disruption of the global chip supply chain. Most of the chips used in cars, smartphones, in the aviation and motor vehicle industries are made in Taiwan. Indeed, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd is the world’s largest contract chipmaker and Asia’s most valuable listed firm. Consequently, major industries are bracing for less production and sales due to the looming shortage of the semiconductors.

The U.S. needs to tone down its anti-China rhetoric and stop the needless power games that keeps the world on tenterhooks. As Biden offered, the two countries need to work together on urgent issues like climate change and food insecurity for the sake of humanity.

The lines of communication between the U.S. and China must be kept open, which is easier said than done though. The U.S. has a reputation of unilateralism, so it is really the one that needs to change. In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, for example, the superpower has taken a hardline stance and egged on the conflict by supplying its ally, Ukraine, with military equipment and supplies.

Given, the U.S. and China have never been bosom buddies. At least not in the way, say, the U.S. and the United Kingdom are allies. But there was a time they had a working relationship, which is what Xi alluded to when he talked of the need to bring U.S.-China relations back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of the two countries and the world as a whole.

The way the two countries manage their relationship will be a good indicator of how successful the world will wade off the growing global challenges. As Xi stated, “the two countries should work with all other nations to bring more hope to world peace, greater confidence in global stability, and stronger impetus to common development.”

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