The summit showed that Beijing still needs Washington. That’s a problem Xi Jinping is trying to solve.
By meeting President Joe Biden in San Francisco yesterday, China’s leader, Xi Jinping, made a tacit, and probably uncomfortable, admission that China still needs the United States, whether he likes it or not. That’s why the summit will likely reinforce his intent to overthrow American global power.
For now, the meeting was a win for Biden and his China policy. Biden’s foreign-policy team has argued that the United States can both compete and, at times, cooperate with China, while stressing that continued communication can prevent relations from descending into confrontation. This approach has often appeared overly optimistic: The two sides have continually sparred over Taiwan, technology, and human rights, and dialogue has frequently broken down.
The fact that the two men met at all is evidence that Biden’s strategy might have merit. Even better, Biden won some tangible (though minor) benefits. Xi agreed to restore a military dialogue with Washington and to help curb the illicit export from China of chemicals used to make fentanyl. Biden may even get a few pandas in the deal, as Xi indicated his willingness to once again send the rare bears to American zoos as existing agreements expire.
Xi’s change of heart is almost certainly attributable to the mounting difficulties he faces both at home and abroad. The Chinese economy is struggling badly, as private investment sinks and the property sector unravels.
