Staff Reports
President Biden is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week, and the stakes are high. Biden, who is already facing low poll numbers and a corruption investigation, is also under scrutiny for his softer stance on China compared to former President Trump. With tensions between the two countries on the rise, the Biden administration has set low expectations for the meeting, but Republican opponents are not letting Biden off the hook. They are calling on him to hold China accountable for various issues, such as COVID, tech theft, and spying.
Congressional investigators are also watching the meeting closely, as they continue to look into Biden’s family’s business deals with China. They have discovered evidence of Biden’s involvement in these deals, which brought in millions of dollars from companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party. Critics argue that these deals weaken Biden’s position with Xi, and they are concerned about the money Chinese companies have deposited into the Biden family’s bank accounts.
Biden family’s big-money deals in China in background when president meets with Xi Jinpinghttps://t.co/vG1bozzJfz pic.twitter.com/7PATqvUZiB
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) November 14, 2023
Republicans are using the meeting as an opportunity to contrast Biden’s approach to China with Trump’s tough-on-China policies. They claim that Xi sees Biden as weak and easily manipulated. Republicans are demanding that Biden make significant demands of Xi, including a response on China’s role in producing fentanyl, answers on intellectual property theft, a condemnation of human rights abuses, and an explanation of Chinese spying on U.S. soil.
Despite the pressure, Biden’s defenders argue that he has maintained tariffs on Chinese imports and ordered the destruction of a Chinese spy balloon. The White House has not provided many details about the meeting, but they have indicated that the administration is looking for specific outcomes in areas where U.S.-China interests overlap.
As the meeting approaches, there are mixed feelings about Biden’s ability to effectively address China’s aggression and protect American interests. Republicans and Democrats alike will be closely watching the outcome of this high-stakes meeting.
