Chinese media has suggested the U.S. is to blame for the "unstable" relations between the two countries ahead of President Xi Jinping meeting President Joe Biden in San Francisco.
An editorial in the state-run daily newspaper the Global Timesaccused the U.S. of being the "initiator of the difficult situation," which has seen Beijing pulling military contacts with Washington over former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last August, as well as tensions rising after a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the U.S. was shot down in February 2023.
XI and Biden are set to have their first face-to-face meeting in a year on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, as well as at an undisclosed location in San Francisco. The meeting is seen as a crucial step in restoring normal communications between the U.S. and China and to prevent the rivalry between the two countries from escalating.
Other issues, such as Taiwan, China's economy, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Ukraine's war with Russia, are also likely to be addressed when Biden and Xi meet.
Ahead of the meeting, the Global Times said there is a "mutual desire" between China and the U.S. to "stabilize" their relations, while suggesting the issues have largely come from the West.
"As the initiator of the difficult situation in China-U.S. relations, the U.S. side, in particular, needs to take practical actions to prove its sincerity in stabilizing the bilateral relationship," the editorial said.
"In fact, the uncertainty in stabilizing the bilateral relationship has consistently come from the U.S. side, both in the past, present, and potentially in the future.
"Since the news of the meeting emerged, from White House officials, members of Congress to various U.S. media outlets, they have made many demands and suggestions to China. They are adept at shaping public opinion before major meetings to gain the initiative."
The Global Times added that both China and the U.S. "bear a common responsibility" to keep a healthy relationship in order to maintain world peace.
"Only when China-U.S. relations stabilize and improve can the two countries join hands to address global challenges and promote world peace and development," the paper writes. "This meeting in San Francisco will provide a valuable opportunity to promote the return of China-U.S. relations to the right track.
"We hope the U.S. side to demonstrate enough political courage and wisdom, meet the Chinese side halfway, and promote the construction of a correct way for China and the U.S. to get along with each other, injecting stability and certainty into the turbulent world. This is in line with the fundamental interests of the people of both countries and is also the common expectation of the international community."
The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
The newspaper also notes that relations have reached "another crucial juncture," with the U.S. presidential election taking place next year, which it says may see "negative factors" that impact the two country's relations "emerge unexpectedly."
Xi's last visit to the U.S. was in 2017 during the Donald Trump administration.
John Kirby, a National Security Council spokesman, said Biden will be hoping to discuss "this most consequential of bilateral relationships in the most responsible way forward."
"He means to compete with China," Kirby told reporters onboard Air Force One while traveling to San Francisco.
"He's coming into this discussion, again, with the wind at his back, from an economic perspective. He thinks the United States is well-poised in that competition with China. He's not going to be afraid to confront where confrontation is needed on issues where we don't see eye to eye with President Xi and the PRC (People's Republic of China).
"But we're also not going to be afraid, nor should we be afraid, as a confident nation, to engage in diplomacy on ways in which we can cooperate with China—on climate change, for instance, and clean-energy technology," Kirby added.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
