Biden Likely to Meet Xi Jinping Soon... "Quad Summit in the US Within the Year"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] There is a prospect that U.S. President Joe Biden will soon have his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On the 6th (local time), according to major foreign media, Kurt Campbell, U.S. National Security Council (NSC) Indo-Pacific Coordinator, said that President Biden will have an opportunity to engage with President Xi Jinping in the near future.

Coordinator Campbell responded this way when asked at an online discussion hosted by the private think tank Asia Society whether the two leaders could have contact around the G20 summit scheduled in Italy this October.

He said, "I think the two leaders will assess (whether to engage)," adding, "My expectation is that we will have some form of engagement at a point not too far from now."

Campbell’s remarks are interpreted to mean that the U.S. and Chinese leaders will have a chance to directly discuss various issues, possibly before the G20 summit.

Since taking office in January, the Biden administration has maintained the previous Trump administration’s tough stance on China and increased pressure on the country.

On the same day, Campbell reaffirmed that President Biden will host the Quad summit?comprising the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India, a coalition to check China?within this year in the United States.

He said, "You will see President Biden chairing the Quad leaders in Washington in the second half of this year," evaluating that this meeting will bring decisive commitments on vaccine diplomacy and infrastructure.

After his inauguration in March, President Biden held the first Quad summit, pledging cooperation to enhance security and respond to threats in the Indo-Pacific region. In response to China’s vaccine diplomacy, Quad members agreed to increase vaccine production and supply to the Indo-Pacific region through cooperation.

At last month’s G7 summit in the UK, attended by President Biden, an agreement was reached to establish a new global infrastructure partnership in response to China’s massive economic initiative, the Belt and Road Initiative.

Therefore, Campbell’s remarks suggest that when the Quad summit is held, there will be a strong intention to discuss in depth not only the activation of vaccine diplomacy but also infrastructure cooperation as part of efforts to check China.

Photo by SCMP

Regarding Taiwan, a focal point of U.S.-China tensions, he expressed a cautious stance. He stated, "The U.S. supports unofficial relations with Taiwan but does not support Taiwan’s independence," adding, "We understand the sensitivities involved."

However, he emphasized that Taiwan is expected to play an international role in areas such as vaccines and pandemic response, saying, "They should not be excluded by the international community."

He warned that efforts by China to take measures in Taiwan similar to those in Hong Kong would be a great disaster, and the U.S. will continue to send appropriate signals with its partners if China’s actions clearly contradict the international order.