Truce Over Taiwan: When Biden And Xi Met On The Sidelines Of G-20 Summit

The tempers around Taiwan are yet to cool down. 

However, there was some hope for the global community as President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping sat down for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Indonesia.

The marathon meeting, which continued for over three hours, was an attempt by both leaders to iron out their differences over Taiwan, amongst other things. 

Stating the concerns over Taiwan, Biden said that they were committed to keeping the lines of communication open, not just between the leaders, but also the governments, given the opportunities that existed for both nations to work with.

He further added that the world expects both countries to come together to combat problems like climate change. 

Xi, while acknowledging the changes across the globe, said that the world has to come to a crossroads.

He further added that the relationship between the two powers was in such a critical moment that it was not in the fundamental interests of both, and not tuned to the expectations of the global community. 

The right course must be charted out for the relationship between both countries, Xi said. 

Post-meeting, both governments came out with their official statements. The United States (US) raised objections against China’s posturing in the Taiwan strait, stating how it could jeopardise the stability of the region, and dent global prosperity.

The Chinese side reiterated its stance, announcing that the Taiwan question was at the very core of China’s interests, was the bedrock of the political foundation of the China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in the bilateral relationship, as reported by Nikkei Asia. 

Talking to reporters, Biden also commented on China’s possible invasion of Taiwan, stating that there was no imminent attempt by Beijing.

On North Korea, however, Biden stated his concerns about the provocative behaviour of the regime against its neighbours, and how Beijing must exercise its leverage to rein in Kim Jong-un. 

This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. 

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