Chinese Media Express Cautious Optimism over Biden-Xi Call

Feb. 14 , 2021 (EIRNS)—A Feb. 11 editorial in Global Times is indicative of the cautious optimism being expressed in Chinese media over the two-hour phone call between Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping last week. “The most informative point of the phone conversation was its timing,” the editorial stated. “It happened on Chinese New Year’s Eve,” and Biden used the occasion to convey his well wishes to China on that occasion. “The top leaders of both countries demonstrated a gesture of goodwill to promote mutual understanding and control divergences on this special day. We hope the two societies would follow the lead, and the world’s public opinion could also support the positive messages conveyed in the phone call.”

“Xi and Biden had many contacts in the past,” Global Times continued. “They are very familiar with each other. The phone call is a continuation of the personal relationship between them.”

But the editorial is by no means starry-eyed, taking note that

“A new Pentagon task force was set up on Wednesday [Feb. 10] to review U.S. defense policy and actions toward China. This is an unprecedented institutional arrangement for the U.S. military. It will also have an impact on the overall U.S. policy toward China. Friction between China and the U.S. is on the rise. Some American elites believe that the tougher the U.S. is against China, the better.”

The editorial concluded: “A win-win situation between China and the U.S. will be a victory for modern human civilization and wisdom. If the two countries end up in serious conflicts, it will be a tragedy for humanity.”