Middle East in focus as China & US meet to plan Biden-Xi summit

• Middle East in focus as China & US meet to plan Biden-Xi summit.
• The superpowers have taken on a new dimension as a result of the Middle East war.
• The significance of China’s capacity to influence Iran has been emphasized by Washington.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi embarks on a much-awaited trip to Washington as the United States and China attempt to resolve their profound strategic divides and clear the path for the anticipated summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden on Thursday.

The bitter rivalry between the superpowers has taken on a new dimension as a result of the Middle East war, and Washington hopes Beijing will use its clout with Iran to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading throughout the region.

Though Xi stated on Wednesday that China was eager to collaborate on global concerns, and both Beijing and Washington have shown a desire to seek for areas where they can work together, experts do not anticipate any quick breakthrough.

Preventing the world’s two largest economies from engaging in fierce competition and disputes over a wide range of matters, including trade, Taiwan, and the South China Sea, from spiraling out of control has been the Biden administration’s top objective with Beijing.

Wang will be received at the State Department on Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who assured the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that he would collaborate with Wang to stop the Middle East conflict from getting worse.

Both Chinese and American policy analysts believe that preventing a bigger conflict is in everyone’s best interests and that China, as a major oil buyer, has significant sway over Iran.

However, it is unclear if Beijing will make use of it; experts predict that China might choose to remain neutral for the time being.

Jon Alterman, head of the Middle East program at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies said, “The Chinese certainly have an interest in preventing a direct U.S.-Iranian confrontation, as they are major oil consumers and that would spike prices.”

“Still, the Chinese are unlikely to do any heavy lifting here. I expect they’ll want a seat at the table when the Israel-Gaza struggle gets resolved, but they don’t feel much need or ability to hasten resolution.”

Professor of International Affairs at Renmin University of China Shi Yinhong stated that “almost the only serious and practical U.S. expectation of China on the Middle East situation” was Beijing using its influence on Iran.

However, Shi continued: “The U.S. position on Iran is far from acceptable to China and vice versa. Mutual compromise on this issue could be too limited and small to be of any significance.”

The significance of China’s capacity to influence Iran has been emphasized by Washington. While on a quick trip to the Middle East last week, Blinken called Wang and implored him to use Beijing’s influence to prevent the dispute from getting worse.

In reaction to Israel’s assault on Gaza in retribution for a Hamas strike on October 7 that Israel claims claimed 1,400 lives, China has demanded moderation and a truce.

Over 6,500 Palestinians have been killed by retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, the health ministry in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, reported on Wednesday.

China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said on Tuesday, “China has been working tirelessly to promote the cessation of hostilities and the restoration of peace. We have been maintaining close communication with the parties concerned.”

Wang is visiting Washington following a number of high-ranking U.S. officials’ visits to Beijing in recent months, including Blinken.

Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, is scheduled to meet with the seasoned Chinese ambassador on Friday.

According to two U.S. sources, he is also anticipated to have a conversation with Biden while in the White House, though it is unknown how significant their exchange will be.

Analysts believe that the talks would center on getting ready for Biden and Xi’s planned meeting, which is expected to take place on the fringes of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in San Francisco from November 11–17.

Biden and Xi would be meeting for the first time since their summit in Bali in November.

“There are substantive things to be ironed out and finalized,” stated Yun Sun, the Stimson Center’s China Program director in Washington. “(Wang) will be here for the negotiations only – the big deliverables will be reserved for the top leaders to announce.”

Xi stated on Wednesday that the world would depend on Washington and Beijing figuring out the “right” path to harmony and conflict resolution.

The two sides approach APEC from distinct economic vantage points; according to experts on economic policy, the United States has fared slightly better than China in navigating difficult international conditions following the COVID-19 epidemic.

The United States and China conducted a virtual meeting on macroeconomic trends on Monday. China described the discussions as “in-depth, frank, and constructive,” while the United States dubbed it “productive and substantive.”

Taiwan and the South and East China Seas, where Beijing is allegedly taking “destabilizing and dangerous actions” against competing territory claimants, are also on the agenda, according to U.S. officials.

They claimed that in order to prevent unexpected confrontation, re-establishing military-to-military contacts with China remained a major U.S. objective.

Relationship inconsistencies were brought to light by China’s publication Global Times.

The U.S. strategy of seeking to “contain” China has not altered, it claimed, even if “Although Sino-U.S. interactions have seen a rapid recovery in different fields.”

Washington is accused of utilizing “two-faced tactics,” routinely taking advantage of opportunities to undermine China and cause conflict.

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