THE shift in global attention and leadership is moving towards China as President Xi Jinping’s presence and China’s views on global issues dominated two important meetings of world leaders this month of November.
From November 14 to November 16, 2022, leaders of the world’s top 20 economies met in Bali, Indonesia, for the 17th Session of the ‘G20.’
Although the 2022 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand, opened in the same time frame, the meeting of the APEC Heads of State was held from November 18 to November 19, 2022. Here, Pres. Xi Jinping has emerged as the most sought-after national leader among the 22 member-states of APEC.
At the G20 meeting that comprises the countries of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, China showed it is no longer willing to simply bow down to the dictates of the West on important matters such as the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Ahead of the meeting, the EU and the United States (G7) had continued their bellicose attitude towards Russia over its continuing special military operation in Eastern Ukraine that begun last February 24, 2022.
Up to this moment, the G7 (United States, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada plus the European Union), continues to give material, diplomatic, political and military support to Ukraine and their interference being justified by painting Russia as the “aggressor” in the conflict.
However, the G20’s effort to speak as one voice in condemning Russia over Ukraine clearly failed. The final communique showed China’s hand in splitting the position of the G7 towards Russia while breaking the mirage of the West’s dominance of the G20.
While expressing “in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine” and demanding for Russia’s “complete and unconditional withdrawal” from Ukraine, Paragraph 3 of the ‘Bali Communique’ released on November 16, 2022, also acknowledges that “there were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions (against Russia).” The communique also admitted that the G20 “is not the forum to resolve security issues” but noted that “security issues can have significant consequences for the global economy.”
At the G20, President Xi also had more than 3 hours close-door meeting with US President Joe Biden. Emerging later, Biden, in his press conference, was evidently influenced by Xi towards an improvement of their countries’ relationship.
Clearly withdrawing from the hysterics of the warmongers in America, Biden said he had “an open and candid conversations about our intentions and our priorities” with Pres. Xi.
Biden added that he expects the US to compete “vigorously” with China “but I am not looking for conflict; I’m looking to manage this competition responsibly.”
Biden also stressed that the US’ ‘One China Policy’ “has not changed” and that he opposed unilateral (miliary) action by China or Taiwan in resolving the latter’s unification with the mainland.
Indicating he is scaling down on the US’ continuing intimidation of China, Biden also bared that he has instructed Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, among the most anti-China officials in Washington— “to travel to China to follow up on our discussions and to continue to open the line of communication between our two countries.”
During the question hour, Biden also rejected efforts by some quarters to shift the US-China relations into a “new Cold War.”
“I absolutely believe there need not be any new cold war,” Biden said, as he also shot down insinuations that China is just about ready to invade Taiwan.
“I do not believe that there is an imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan and I made it clear that our policy on Taiwan has not changed at all.”
Biden’s pronouncements putting China in a better light along with his agreement with Pres. Xi Jinping to have their respective government officials to “sit and meet with one another” to discuss “the details of every issue raised,” including the meeting of their respective defense and military officials, are all seen to put their relationship in a much better and stable footing.
Xi Jinping ‘confronts’ leader of Canada
But if the meeting with Biden is expected to help clear the air between China and the United States, its relationship with Canada, another US Western minion, is not about to improve very soon.
In a widely reported incident, Pres. Xi approached Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and admonished him for allegedly “leaking” to the press details of their close-door meeting.
Xi told Trudeau that his releasing details of their talks is “inappropriate” and is not the way heads of state treat each other. “That is not the way diplomacy can work,” the Chinese leader admonished his Canadian counterpart.
It can be recalled that prior to the G20 meeting in Bali, relationship between China and Canada has turned from good to bad after Canada participated in the US harassment of China’s tech giant, Huawei, by imprisoning its chief financial officer (CFO), Meng Wanzhou, also the daughter of Huawei founder, Ren Zhengfei, in December 2018 on trump up charges.
Meng was accused of illegal financial dealings with Iran which remains under US sanctions.
China retaliated by detaining two Canadians whom it accused of spying, an offense punishable by death.
The matter was finally resolved when Canada, in collusion with the US, released Meng in September 2021, followed by China’s release of the two Canadian spies, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
While Canada maintained they were not spies, Canada’s own intelligence service, CSIS, tweeted “welcome” when they were finally released. “CSIS joins all Canadians in welcoming you back to Canada,” tweeted CSIS, in an article by RT of Russia in an article last September 25, 2021.
Heading into the G20 Bali Summit, Canada has also ramped up its anti-China attacks, accusing China of interference in its domestic affairs including in the 2019 federal elections. A day before Pres. Xi confronted Trudeau, The Guardian reported that Canadian police has detained a Chinese-Canadian, Yuesheng Wang, a researcher, for “spying” for China.
The Guardian also reported that only last November 3, 2022, Canada ordered China to divest in 3 of its mining companies over the issue of “national security,” which is another name for racial discrimination.