Xi Jinping-Joe Biden, three hours to defuse tension

The three-hour telematic conversation between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping did not, according to the American press, lead to any major agreements, but it did lead to declarations from the parties to lower the tension that has been building up in recent months between the two superpowers, the United States and China.

In his statements, Biden avoided describing the summit as a failure, but acknowledged that relations with Beijing need to be "guardrailed" (an expression that caused a stir in the media). The Chinese leader, for his part, stressed that the most important thing is that a more equal relationship has been established, which is very important for the rest of the world. Of course, both acknowledged that it had been a cordial conversation.

But three hours is a long time staring at a screen with a microphone in between. The problems that confront the two countries and some issues will obviously have been dealt with and, for the moment, silenced: relations, or if one prefers commercial competitions, seem beyond doubt to have been a priority. Xi Jinping came to the meeting with the news that China has already surpassed the United States in total wealth.

It is also known that they discussed the measures needed to curb climate change and agreed to "work together", a frequent diplomatic cliché, to achieve this. Otherwise, much of the time seems to have been spent on issues affecting peace and the general interest, such as the China Sea dispute, the threat from North Korea and, of course, Taiwan.

Neither China wants to hear about the independence of its "rebel island" nor is the United States willing to abandon an ally that guarantees it a support base in the area. Obviously, there is no suspicion that they have reached any kind of understanding. The New York and Washington press finds it strange that President Biden did not address one of the Pentagon's major concerns, the nuclear arsenal that China is amassing.