Giant leaders meet to strategise on peace, development

President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden held a summit meeting at Filoli Estate, San Francisco on Wednesday 15 November 2023 to exchange views on strategic and overarching issues critical to the direction of China-U.S. relations and on major issues affecting world peace and development.
President Xi noted that there are two options for China and the United States in the era of global transformations unseen in a century: One is to enhance solidarity and cooperation and join hands to meet global challenges and promote global security and prosperity; and the other is to cling to the zero-sum mentality, provoke rivalry and confrontation, and drive the world toward turmoil and division. The two choices point to two different directions that will decide the future of humanity and Planet Earth.
The China-U.S. relationship, which is the most important bilateral relationship in the world, should be perceived and envisioned in this broad context. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other. And conflict and confrontation has unbearable consequences for both sides. Major-country competition cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world. The world is big enough to accommodate both countries, and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other.
Xi elaborated on the essential features of Chinese modernization and its significance, China’s development prospects, and its strategic intention. He pointed out that China’s development is driven by its inherent logic and dynamics. China is promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. It will not take the old path of colonization and plundering, or the wrong path of seeking hegemony with growing strength. It does not export its ideology, or engage in ideological confrontation with any country. China does not have a plan to surpass or unseat the United States. Likewise, the United States should not scheme to suppress and contain China.
In San Francisco, China and the United States should assume a new vision and build together five pillars for China-U.S. relations. First; jointly develop a right perception. Second; jointly manage disagreements effectively. Third; jointly advance mutually beneficial cooperation. Fourth; jointly shoulder responsibilities as major countries. Fifth; jointly promote people-to-people exchanges
The two giant economic leaders acknowledged the efforts of their respective teams to discuss the development of principles related to China-U.S. relations since the meeting in Bali. They stressed the importance of all countries treating each other with respect and finding a way to live alongside each other peacefully, and of maintaining open lines of communication, preventing conflict, upholding the U.N. Charter, cooperating on areas of shared interest, and responsibly managing competitive aspects of the relationship. The leaders welcomed continued discussions in this regard.
The two presidents also agreed to promote and strengthen dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in various areas including China-U.S. government talks on AI and the establishment of a working group on counter narcotics cooperation. They agreed to resume on the basis of equality and respect high-level military-to-military communication, the China-U.S. Policy Coordination Talks, and the China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement meetings, and to conduct telephone conversations between theater commanders. They also agreed to commit to work toward a significant further increase in scheduled passenger flights early next year; and expand educational, student, youth, cultural, sports and business exchanges.
The two leaders underscored the importance of working together to accelerate efforts to tackle the climate crisis in this critical decade. They welcomed recent positive discussions between their respective special envoys for climate, including on national actions to reduce emissions in the 2020s and on common approaches toward a successful COP28 and on operationalization of the Working Group on Enhancing Climate Action in the 2020s to accelerate concrete climate actions.