US and China Hold Virtual Summit

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit on Monday, November 13, 2023, their first

since Biden took office. The two leaders discussed a range of issues, including the war in Ukraine, trade, and

climate change. The summit was seen as an important step in improving relations between the two countries.

On the issue of the war in Ukraine, Biden urged China to use its influence with Russia to end the war. Xi reiterated

China’s position that it is opposed to the use of force and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

On trade, Biden and Xi discussed the need to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. They

also agreed to work together to address the challenges posed by global inflation.

On climate change, Biden and Xi reaffirmed their commitment to working together to combat climate change.

They also agreed to cooperate on developing and deploying clean energy technologies.

In addition to these major issues, Biden and Xi also discussed a range of other topics, including nuclear

nonproliferation, regional security, and human rights.

The summit was described by both sides as “constructive” and “candid.” It was seen as a positive step in

improving relations between the two countries, which have been strained in recent years.

Here are some additional details about the issues discussed at the summit:

• Ukraine: Biden urged China to use its influence with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. He warned that a prolonged conflict would have serious consequences for the global economy and security order. Xi reiterated China’s position that it is opposed to the use of force and called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. However, he did not offer any concrete commitments on how China would use its influence to bring about an end to the war.
• Trade: Biden and Xi discussed the need to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. They agreed to work together to address the challenges posed by global inflation. They also agreed to resume trade talks, which had been stalled for over a year. However, they did not announce any specific breakthroughs on trade issues.
• Climate change: Biden and Xi reaffirmed their commitment to working together to combat climate change. They agreed to cooperate on developing and deploying clean energy technologies. They also agreed to work together to reduce methane emissions. This was a significant development, as China is the world’s largest emitter of methane.

Overall, the US-China virtual summit was a positive step in improving relations between the two countries. The

two leaders discussed a range of important issues, and they made some progress on some of them. However,

there are still many challenges ahead, and it remains to be seen whether the two countries can build on the

momentum generated by the summit to achieve more concrete progress in the coming months and years.