Biden lands in Bali for G20 Summit, meeting with Xi

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 Nov 2022 18:29

This will mark the first face-to-face talk since US President Joe Biden assumed the presidency and Xi Jinping renewed his third term as leader of the CCP.

US President Joe Biden arrives at Ngurah Rai International Airport. (AFP)

US President Joe Biden landed in Bali, Indonesia's capital, on Sunday to attend the G20 summit expected to kick off tomorrow in the presence of leaders from 20 of the world's largest economies, followed by a high-stakes meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

On Wednesday, Biden said concerning the meeting with Xi that he hopes to get a good grasp of his priorities and concerns, and "lay out what each of our red lines are."

This will mark the first face-to-face talk since Biden assumed the US presidency and Xi renewed his third term as leader of the CCP.

The two leaders who previously held phone conversations several times are scheduled to meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Monday.

Many anticipate the summit to be the biggest gathering since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

BIDEN ARRIVES IN BALI FOR THE G20 SUMMITpic.twitter.com/iRldqEDGWP
— critical mix theory  (@allidoismix) November 13, 2022

The US leader said he expects to establish "red lines" in Washington's fraught relations with Beijing in his first face-to-face talks as president with Xi.

Earlier today, Biden said he was going into the meeting with a "stronger" hand since US voters returned control of the Senate to his party despite they had been forecast to lose heavily.

But the meeting will take place in the context of fraught relations between the world's greatest two economies, as the US has in recent months sought to disrupt China's domestic affairs.

Biden said he expected "straightforward discussions" with Xi, adding that "I know Xi Jinping, he knows me," he told reporters in Phnom Penh prior to his departure for Bali.

"We have very little misunderstanding. We just got to figure out what the red lines are," Biden said, adding he expects to "come out of this meeting with areas where the two countries and the two presidents and their teams can work cooperatively on substantive issues", National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters before he flew to Bali with Biden.

Sullivan added that Biden intends to convince China to restrain North Korea after it carried out a series of retaliatory missile tests due to the US and South Korea's provoking military exercises on the Korean peninsula.

Biden to tell Xi Jinping that "if North Korea keeps going down this road, it will simply mean further enhanced American military and security presence in the region," says @JakeSullivan46. pic.twitter.com/CVTblwsV52
— William Gallo (@GalloVOA) November 12, 2022

Putin not to attend G20

Any boosting of US naval fleets in the Korean peninsula is highly probable due to North Korea's test missiles.

The move will be highly provocative considering that US fleets will be passing through the South China Sea to reach the Korean peninsula.

Prior to landing in Bali, Biden met with the leaders of Japan and South Korea to discuss a "strong and resolute response" to North Korean nuclear tests.

But China, being a key ally to Russia, has yet to hear what Biden has to say on the matter.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he will not attend the summit, but his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed in Bali today.

Since Russia began its special operation in February this year, the country has been the target of sanctions and other legal actions as punishment for what some Western leaders say are war crimes committed by Russian forces.

Several western nations are now bearing the consequences of their own reckless actions for punishing Russia with unjust and illegal sanctions.

With soaring energy and food prices, affecting both poor and wealthy nations alike, it is highly probable that the conflict will dominate discussions despite that the war is not on the summit's agenda.

There is also the possibility that the attendees will discuss extending the grain deal which is scheduled to expire on November 19.

Lavrov came to Bali where he will represent Russia at G20 summit.

Now the whole world is witnessing Russian war crimes in Ukraine. I look at Lavrov and see images from Bucha, Mariupol and Kherson.

What does the world see? pic.twitter.com/L4B2FT3Suo
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) November 13, 2022

Low expectations

It is likely that Biden may bring up the topic of nuclear warfare which the US accuses Russia of plotting against Ukraine despite that recent intel revealed the possibility of Ukraine orchestrating a 'dirty bomb' on its soil.

The Chinese leader had previously stated during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that a nuclear war could not be won and should never be fought.

According to Ryan Hass, a former director for China at the US National Security Council, Xi "likely will not be as magnanimous in his meeting with Biden."

"He will not want to be perceived as satisfying a request from Biden, whether on Ukraine, nuclear use, North Korea, or any other issue."