US President Joe Biden has confirmed the re-establishment of direct military-to-military contacts with China.

“We’re Reassuming Military-to-military Contacts, Direct Contacts With China”: Biden

US President Joe Biden has confirmed the re-establishment of direct military-to-military contacts with China. He emphasised the importance of maintaining open and clear channels of communication to avoid potential miscalculations that could lead to serious consequences in relations b/w the two major powers.

Biden also highlighted the necessity of direct and transparent communication to prevent “vital miscalculations.”

“Vital miscalculations on either side can cause real trouble with a country like China or any other major country. So, I think we’ve made real progress there as well,” Biden said.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), followed efforts between the US and China to increase high-level communication amid continued tensions. SAN FRANCISCO The United States is hosting the annual APEC summit of world leaders this week for the first time since 2011. Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group will gather in San Francisco to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region.

This was the second in-person dialogue of Biden with Xi since the US president assumed office in 2021. India’s Union Minister Piyush Goyal will also be attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in the United States.

Other leaders who are attending the summit are Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin has not participated in any major international summits and here also he is being represented by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk, against whom no sanctions have been issued by the US.

‘Veer Into Conflict’

The two leaders had not met in person since they held talks in Bali in November 2022, and relations nosedived after the United States shot down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in February this year.

Taiwan Tensions

But on Taiwan, the rhetoric seemed to have barely moved on.

China’s foreign ministry said Xi had told Biden to “stop arming Taiwan and support China’s peaceful reunification. China will realize reunification, and this is unstoppable.”

Areas Of Cooperation

“The Biden-Xi meeting might include a pledge to cooperate or establish a new formal bilateral working group on safe use of artificial intelligence,” Teneo’s Wildau said. He added that “the two leaders may pledge to cooperate and coordinate on providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, ensure smooth passage of grain through the Black Sea, and support postwar reconstruction in Gaza and Ukraine.”

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to leverage the growing interdependence of the Asia-Pacific. APEC’s 21 members aim to create greater prosperity for the people of the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

The group started with 12 members in 1989, but has since grown to 21 including China, Russia, Japan, the U.S. and Australia. Those member nations pack a lot of punch, accounting for nearly 40% of the global population and almost half the world’s trade.

How Effective Is APEC?

The forum has limited scope. It is centered on trade and the economy. There is no military component and it wasn’t forged by a world-altering event like a war.

It technically has member “economies” rather than countries. That allows room for participation by both China-ruled Hong Kong and self-ruled Taiwan.

APEC’s strength lies in its ability to get countries to work together on big initiatives and to ease business relations without binding agreements. Economists point to how APEC contributed to a reduction of tariffs and other barriers to trade.