A Xi-Biden meeting at upcoming Apec summit can help put US-China ties on a more stable footing, says one expert. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Law expert Wang Jiangyu, veteran China watcher Orville Schell and Nanjing University international relations expert Zhu Feng in a panel discussion at the Asia Future Summit 2023, moderated by ThinkChina editor Chow Yian Ping.
The duo, along with Nanjing University international relations expert Zhu Feng, were part of a lively discussion titled “US-China Cooperation in an Age of Strategic Competition” on Wednesday, the first day of the two-day summit held at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. “Can the Chinese people accept this? It’s why Beijing planes keep flying over Taiwan... China can only play the military deterrence card.”
Prof Schell said: “I’m very pessimistic because I think when leaders with thin skin and the problem of ‘face’ get painted into a corner, they have to act. I fear that could be what happens to China, Xi Jinping, if he feels that he has been humiliated. Remember, too, that China is a culture of grievances, humiliation and anger against hostile foreign forces, and it could precipitate very dangerous actions that could tip the world over in a heartbeat.
While there is no pressing need for China to reclaim Taiwan, it might “play the Taiwan card” in retaliation against American moves to contain China’s rise in an extreme scenario, he added.Prof Zhu said the chances of the Xi-Biden meeting are “very high” and that meetings between the top leaders of both sides, going back to the historic 1972 meetingrunning for re-election in November 2024,