Before the G20 summit: Biden wants Xi Jinping to show “red lines” in Bali At least that’s what these “fan marches” suggest

“There are few misunderstandings between us. We just need to figure out where the red lines are — and what the most important things are for each of us in the next two years,” Biden said before the meeting. The call (10:30 a.m. CET) ahead of the G20 summit in Indonesia is the first bilateral meeting with Xi since Biden took office. Relations between China and the US are at a low ebb.

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan estimated the meeting on the holiday island of Bali could last several hours. “The president sees the US and China in fierce competition, but this competition must not degenerate into conflict or confrontation and must be managed responsibly,” he warned.

All countries, including the US and China, must act according to a set of “set and agreed upon rules”. The use of intimidation, coercion or aggression should be avoided.

Biden and Xi will meet a day before the start of the two-day summit of the Group of Leading Economists (G20) in Nusa Dua, where German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also expected.

The list of controversial issues is long: China’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin after his invasion of Ukraine, trade war and US sanctions, China’s saber-rattling against democratic Taiwan and its territorial claims in the South China Sea. China, in turn, accuses the United States of wanting to hinder its rise in the world. The US increasingly sees China as a rival and a threat.

The aim of the talks is also to identify areas in which China and the United States share interests, Sullivan announced. These are, for example, climate change or public health. Both countries should also cooperate on these themes. Personal exchange at the highest level is the most effective way. The White House had already tempered expectations last week, stating that there would probably be no joint statement after the meeting.

Biden arrived in Bali on Sunday evening (local time). He can go to the meeting with Xi and to the G20 summit strengthened: In the US, Biden’s Democrats secured a majority in the Senate after the important midterm elections – an electoral success for the US president. In the meantime, a debacle was predicted for the Democrats and a wave of success for the Republicans. Both failed. The Republicans, however, have a good chance of a narrow majority in the other chamber of parliament, the House of Representatives.

Biden himself repeatedly emphasizes that after ex-President Donald Trump was in the White House, allies continued to question him about the reliability of the US as a partner. Sullivan stressed that Biden believes the election results will put him in a strong position on the international stage. (con/sda/dpa)