Talk seen as chance to put ties back on track

Tuesday's virtual meeting important for U.S., China, 'but also international relations'

The plan for a virtual meeting between President Xi Jinping and United States President Joe Biden is the outgrowth of the two countries' latest efforts to steer bilateral ties back toward dialogue and cooperation in the face of risks and challenges that they must be jointly addressed, analysts said.

It also reflects that Washington sees it has achieved nothing with its Cold War mentality-guided suppression of China, they added.

Ahead of the meeting to be held on Tuesday, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed in a phone conversation on Saturday the significance of the planned meeting, news of which is being keenly followed by the world.

Wang referred to the meeting as "an important event, not only for China-U.S. relations, but also for international relations", and he said that the two peoples and the international community are expecting outcomes beneficial to both countries and to the world coming from it.

Wang said the two leaders' helmsmanship plays a pivotal role in piloting bilateral ties, and he urged the U.S. to work in the same direction with China and bring China-U.S. relations back onto the track of sound and steady development.

Wang also elaborated on China's solemn position in response to Washington's recent wrongdoings on the Taiwan question, saying that the U.S. should abide by the commitments it made in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, put its one-China policy into action and stop sending the wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" forces.

Ma Xiaolin, a professor at Zhejiang International Studies University, said the agreement for a virtual meeting showed the importance the two heads of state attach to their bilateral ties and their willingness to manage risks and differences so as to return the China-U.S. relationship to the direction of positive development.

"As the two are the world's largest developed and largest developing country, it is necessary for both sides to make concerted efforts in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and toward promoting global economic recovery and rebuilding their strategic mutual trust," Ma said.

The meeting will be the first one-on-one meeting of Xi and Biden via video link since the U.S. president took office in January. Previously, they had two phone conversations, one in February and the other in September.

Guided by the spirit and content of the leaders' telephone conversations, senior Chinese and U.S. officials have had several face-to-face interactions this year in Anchorage, Tianjin, Zurich and Rome.

Last week, at the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, the two countries' climate envoys announced a China-U.S. declaration vowing to boost climate cooperation in the next decade.

Li Haidong, a professor of U.S. studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said that bilateral cooperation between China and the U.S. shows great potential and is urgently needed by both countries and the world.

As Xi pointed out in his phone call with Biden in September, whether China and the U.S. can handle their relationship well has a bearing on the future of the world and it is the question of the century, to which the two countries must provide a good answer.

Li said that most disputes between China and the U.S. were due to Washington's disrespect for China's sovereignty, security and development interests and its interference in China's internal affairs on issues concerning Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"Cooperation will not be an option if the U.S. keeps stirring up trouble on these issues and does not stop infringing on China's rights and interests," Li said.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said that the U.S. has for some time adopted a wrong China policy due to its misjudgment on bilateral ties and thus, out of its Cold War mentality, has undertaken a series of acts that crack down on China.

"But Beijing has calmly stood against Washington's suppression and taken resolute measures in response. So the U.S. has had to rethink and adjust its China policy and engage with China now through dialogue and communication," Ruan said.

It is not possible that things will suddenly turn around after this meeting, Ruan said, but it can be expected that with mutual understanding and communication being enhanced this time, conditions for the next step in the development and adjustment of China-U.S. relations will be created.