The much-anticipated U.S.-China summit, which caused a stir among many, failed to produce significant outcomes. Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the U.S. for the first time in six years after a grueling series of negotiations and preliminary contacts, but insiders have largely deemed the meeting uneventful.
From the perspective of news production, which is defined by ‘new things,’ the actions of the two leaders were highly uncooperative. Neither side made new statements or conclusions about China’s ‘thorny’ Taiwan issue, and they remained silent about U.S. sanctions related to semiconductor equipment. Of course, some under-the-table negotiations might have been reached through confidential and practical-level meetings, but it’s likely they’re keeping it under wraps for now. Both issues are extremely sharp and sensitive, not to be carelessly exposed.
Other results brought forth by the two sides include the resumption of high-level military communication and an increase in flight frequencies, which can be considered as negotiations with the ‘lowest’ level of difficulty. Even within China, it is evaluated that “the only significant strategic result is the resumption of military communication (Professor Su Xinhuang, Department of International Relations, Renmin University of China).”
However, some believe that President Xi Jinping made some progress in terms of his international image through this visit to the U.S. Hua Chunying, Deputy Director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and spokesperson, is credited as the main contributor to this achievement. Hua shared various photos and videos from places where reporters were not allowed on her social networking service (SNS). An anecdote where President Biden showed a photo of ‘young Xi Jinping’ on his mobile phone to the president himself, asking “Do you know who this young man is?” was also revealed to the public through Hua.
Other images shared include President Xi receiving an NBA team uniform from California Governor Gavin Newsom with a bright smile, and introducing ‘Hongqi,’ a domestic brand vehicle, to President Biden. A photo of the Hongqi and a Cadillac parked side by side (with the Chinese car slightly ahead) was also posted, along with an image implying that the physical distance between the U.S. and Chinese leaders at the 2022 Bali meeting and the 2023 San Francisco meeting has significantly shortened. These posts subtly conveyed a friendly message. Of course, it is unlikely that all these scenes were captured and shared based on Hua’s personal judgment and decision.
Regardless, China’s SNS diplomacy was relatively successful. Bloomberg commented, “The usually stoic President Xi showed a softer and more approachable side in San Francisco.” It added, “A few hours after reminiscing about his first visit to the U.S. 38 years ago with President Biden, he received an NBA team uniform and said he would send a panda to a U.S. zoo.”
As long as China does not halt its technical advances towards U.S. hegemony, fierce competition and mutual checks and balances are the default in U.S.-China relations. This summit simply allowed both countries to clearly express their views, whether on the stage of politics and diplomacy or in the realm of the economy. However, the fact that they tried to present as friendly a face as possible, even if it was a façade, and excluded harsh expressions and language from the past, is significant. The fact that all Chinese state-run media treated the photo of ‘young Xi Jinping from 38 years ago’ in the same way days before the summit is proof of thorough preparation for this friendliness.
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