Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived to San Francisco this Tuesday for a historic summit with President Joe Biden. This is the first meeting between the two leaders so far this year. The bilateral summit will have a long list of points pending negotiation, including Taiwan, peace in the Pacific, the technological race and drug trafficking.
The city of San Francisco heightened security to prepare for the arrival of the President of the People's Republic of China. Xi Jinping was welcomed at the San Francisco airport by California Governor Gavin Newsom.
El presidente Xi Jinping fue recibido por el gobernador de California, la secretaria de tesoro, el embajador en China y otros altos funcionarios de EEUU. 🇨🇳🇺🇸 https://t.co/lGK67ZfIvp pic.twitter.com/ejHwBgSn1f
— Zhu Jingyang (@zhu_jingyang) November 15, 2023
The streets were cleaner and calmer than normal. This was particularly surprising considering San Francisco is experiencing a serious problem with homelessness.
The images sparked comments on social media. Many people from the Chinese community in California posted messages welcoming Xi Jinping to San Francisco. Some protesters also waited for the Chinese leader to arrive so they could express their disapproval of the Communist Party regime in China.
This is the first time that the leader has visited the United States since 2017. This Wednesday, Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with the Chinese leader in the company of leaders from both administrations to begin the negotiation agenda.
They will also meet with leaders from 21 other Pacific countries who will travel to California to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. However, only Biden and Xi Jinping will go to the Filoli Estate, the location chosen for both leaders to meet face to face.
Banderas de China y gente en las calles para recibir al presidente Xi Jinping en San Francisco, Estados Unidos. pic.twitter.com/hjn0U6n71I
— Noticias de China (@DongshengNewsES) November 15, 2023
Biden is expected to call on China to use its influence with Iran to reduce tension in the Middle East since the outbreak of the new wave of violence between Hamas and Israel. The talks will also address China's role in the global production and trafficking of fentanyl, the biggest threat to American public health right now.
Taiwan will also be a tough issue. The Biden administration has allocated more military aid to support the Taipei government, sparking fury in Beijing. China won't back down on its One China policy, and since Speaker Pelosi's visit, the relationship with Washington on this point has become even more tense.
