The trip of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, to Taiwan in August 2022, had already worsened the tense relationship between Washington and Beijing. In response to the perceived violation of the US’s “One China” policy, Beijing canceled or suspended many planned meetings with the Biden Administration.
Among the canceled meetings were the “China-US Defense Policy Coordination Talks” and the “China-US Military Maritime Consultation Agreement” meetings. Additionally, discussions on “Illegal Immigration,” “Cross-Border Crime Fighting,” “Drug Control Cooperation,” and “Climate Change Combat” were also put on hold. Communication between the Defense Ministers and Chiefs of Staff of both countries was also cut off.
Despite the persistent efforts by the Biden Administration, concrete progress has not been achieved on the mentioned topics. Beijing is deeply uneasy with Washington’s dictating behavior in US-China relations. The Chinese feel that Americans do not treat them as equal partners. Consequently, Beijing desires the meetings to continue steadily within agreed-upon boundaries and with the utmost respect.
Recently, US Climate Envoy John Kerry was in Beijing and had mentioned the possibility of a meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. It appears that Kerry did not receive a definite response from Beijing. Now, the White House is seeking assistance from Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State, who previously visited Beijing and met with both Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu and President Xi Jinping.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby had previously stated that Henry Kissinger traveled to Beijing on his own initiative, and it was unfortunate that a private citizen could meet with the Chinese Defense Minister while the US government couldn’t. The Biden Administration eagerly awaited to hear Kissinger’s impressions from the trip.
In early September, the “G-20 Summit” will take place in New Delhi, India. In November, the “Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit” will be held in San Francisco, USA. It is said that Biden and Xi Jinping might meet at one of these two summits. Americans are hopeful that the meeting will take place at the “APEC Summit.” However, it is not yet clear who will represent China at the summit or whether Xi Jinping will attend.
While the Biden Administration focuses on the meeting with Xi Jinping, developments occurred in Washington that bothered Beijing. Hawks in the “China Committee” of the “House of Representatives,” established to monitor the activities of the “Chinese Communist Party,” are calling for the suspension of all diplomatic contact with China. They even questioned Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Climate Envoy John Kerry’s contacts with Beijing.
According to these China hawks, these meetings make the US appear weak globally. Some Republican hawks even called for the complete cessation of all trade with China, arguing that trade with China would endanger America’s future. They say, “We must stop everything going to China.”
Statements by two influential senators, one Democrat and the other Republican, advocating for NATO to include the “Asia-Pacific” region also angered Beijing. On the other hand, the American Senate approved a bill that prohibits China from purchasing oil from the US “Strategic Petroleum Reserve.” The Senate Appropriations Committee also accepted a spending bill for 2024 that includes a $113 Million “Foreign Military Financing (FMF)” grant for Taiwan. The House Appropriations Committee’s bill on the same matter contains a $500 Million FMF grant.
All of these are just a few of the headline issues disrupting diplomatic relations between the US and China. While Beijing presents a unified voice regarding relations with the US, Washington shows a diverse array of opinions. Meanwhile, the Chinese believe that time is running out to find common ground with Americans on all these topics. In short, everything seems to depend on whether Joe Biden and Xi Jinping can meet face-to-face sometime this year.
