Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden are meeting on Saturday & agrave; Lima for a final official tête-à-tête after warning of an era of “turbulence” and ” “change” to come, in the context of the re-election of Donald Trump. The leaders of the two superpowers are scheduled to meet at the hotel where Xi Jinping has been staying since his arrival Thursday in the Peruvian capital, host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which brings together 21 countries that account for 60% of global GDP. It will be their third and final meeting before the 81-year-old Democrat hands over the presidency to his Republican successor in January. Officials say the meeting will be aimed at building on the historic meeting that helped ease tensions a year ago at the same APEC summit in San Francisco. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, due to disagreements over trade, the status of Taiwan, human rights and technological competition. Bilateral dialogue has nevertheless been maintained as best it can. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stressed this week the “importance” of the meeting between the two leaders, in order to “manage the (bilateral) relationship in this delicate period of transition”. – Not just a farewell – According to the US official, the issues of tensions in the South China Sea and the maintenance of lines of communication – particularly military – should also be addressed. “It will not just be a meeting to say goodbye,” he assured. But the shadow of Donald Trump, who has already appointed to his team supporters of a hard line against Beijing, should hover over their exchanges. US President Joe Biden sits alongside Thailand's Minister of Commerce Pichai Naripthaphan (L) and Vietnam's President Luong Cuong (R) during the informal leaders' dialogue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Lima, Peru, on November 15, 2024 © AFP – SAUL LOEB During his campaign, the billionaire promised to protect American industry, threatening to impose customs duties of 10 to 20% on all imported products and even 60% for those coming from China. During his first term (2017-2021), he had already deeply disrupted bilateral economic relations by launching a trade war to force Beijing to buy American products and rebalance the trade balance. On Friday, Xi Jinping “warned against the rise of unilateralism and protectionism” and warned of an increase in “the fragmentation of the world economy”, in a speech quoted by the Xinhua news agency and broadcast during the summit. The world has “entered a new period of turbulence and transformation”, he warned. – “Levels of uncertainty” increased – A concern relayed by his American counterpart, who nevertheless tried to reassure his allies in the Pacific region, during one of his last interventions on the international scene. Chinese citizens in Peru wait for the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in front of Air Base 8, near Jorge Chavez International Airport, in Callao, near Lima, Peru, on November 14, 2024. © AFP – ERNESTO BENAVIDES “We have now reached a moment of significant political change,” he acknowledged Friday while meeting the leaders of Japan and South Korea, adding that their tripartite alliance was “built to last.” The ambient uncertainty, Peruvian international relations analyst Farid Kahhat told AFP, is due to the fact that “if you make a deal with Biden, he will probably go all the way, the problem with Trump is that he is unpredictable.” In Opening the summit on Friday, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte also spoke of the “various challenges that (…) increase the levels of uncertainty for the future” and stressed the essential role of APEC in “strengthening multilateral cooperation” in this context. After Lima, Joe Biden, like Xi Jinping, will travel to Brazil to participate in the G20. Before joining Rio, Joe Biden will visit the Amazon, during a trip to Manaus in the heart of the immense tropical forest, in order to underline his commitment to “fight against climate change”, according to Jake Sullivan. A complete discrepancy here again with Donald Trump, who withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement during his first term and assured that he wanted to do the same during his second. All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116