
As a precursor to his much-anticipated meeting with President Joe Biden later this fall, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with a group of senators on Monday in Beijing, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
According to state media, the Chinese leader told Schumer that China and the United States have the most significant bilateral relationship in the world and that their shared interests outweigh their differences. His remarks come as relations between the two sides, which are already at their weakest position in decades, are threatened by the commencement of war between Israel and Hamas.
The bipartisan group of six senators is the first congressional delegation to China since 2019 and is also visiting American allies South Korea and Japan. Xi met with them in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, according to state-run television station CCTV.
The meeting, according to Schumer, lasted far longer than anticipated at around 80 minutes, and Xi was believed to be “engaged” during that time.
After a surprise attack by fighters of the Palestinian militant group Hamas that was the bloodiest invasion into Israeli territory in fifty years, Schumer stated during their discussion that he was “disappointed” by what he saw as China’s lack of “sympathy” for Israel.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry demanded on Sunday that “relevant parties” immediately halt hostilities to safeguard people.
In a statement that left out mentioning Hamas, the ministry stated that “the fundamental way out of the dispute lies in implementing the two-state solution and creating an independent State of Palestine.”
In his Monday conversation with Xi, Schumer called the developments in Israel “horrific.”
He stated, “I implore you and the Chinese people to unite with the people of Israel and denounce these shameful and brutal crimes.
Schumer continued, “I was honestly quite disturbed by the foreign ministry’s statement that showed neither sympathy nor support for Israel during these trying times.
Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister, who was present for the meeting between the senators and Xi, apparently received the same message from Schumer earlier on Monday.
After the discussion, Schumer said the senators had also requested China to exert pressure on Iran, which former U.S. intelligence and military officials believe most certainly contributed significantly to the Hamas attack, in order to prevent the crisis from spreading to other parts of the region.
Israel expressed its disapproval of China’s response and stated that it had anticipated a “stronger condemnation” of Hamas.
When questioned about Schumer’s comments from Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its “deep sadness” over the civilian losses and reiterated its support for a two-state solution while calling for a cease-fire and talks.
At a routine news briefing in Beijing, spokesperson Mao Ning declared, “China is a common friend of Israel and Palestine.” “We sincerely hope to see Israel and Palestine live in security and prosperity together.”
A recent diplomatic blitz has sparked hopes for a thawing in relations between the two greatest economies in the world, despite the fact that Biden’s attention is expected to move to the Middle East.
A Biden-Xi meeting would most likely take place in San Francisco, which will be holding the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, next month.
The president’s last got together in Indonesia in November 2017 for the G20 meeting, which Xi skipped this year because it was held in India. Since then, they have not spoken, even as ties between the United States and China have deteriorated over issues like trade, technology, Taiwan’s legal status, China’s position on Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, and the discovery of an alleged Chinese spy balloon above American land earlier this year.
Biden responded to questions from reporters on Friday regarding a potential meeting with Xi by saying, “There has not been such a meeting set up, but it is a possibility.”
Prior to their journey to Asia, the senators had voiced optimism for their own meeting with Xi, which they claimed was intended to further American economic & national security interests in the region. They are meeting with CEOs from American businesses as well as government and business leaders during their tour, which started on Saturday in Shanghai.
Schumer informed Wang on Monday that China should give American businesses operating there a “level playing field” despite their concerns over escalating regulations and an unstable economic climate.
We require mutual benefit. Schumer stated at the news conference that this means American businesses may compete in China with the same freedom as they can in the United States.
Wang pleaded with Schumer to uphold China’s fundamental rights and aspirations for growth. Beijing has reacted negatively to U.S. actions intended to cut off its access to advanced semiconductor chips as well as the August limits Biden imposed on American investment in certain strategically important high-tech sectors in China.
While the United States should make sure that its trade policies are equitable, according to Schumer, it also needs to put economic and national security first, which includes safeguarding cutting-edge technologies.
At the press conference, he declared, “Our delegation is clear that they are not interested in a confrontation with China.” But we will continue to adamantly uphold our beliefs and work to advance regional stability, freedom, and democratic principles.
The Biden administration, which dispatched a number of top officials to Beijing during the summer in a bid to repair relations, expressed support for the senators’ trip even though it was independently planned.
Senior American officials, including members of Congress, wouldn’t generally have meetings with a Chinese leader of Xi’s stature. While other American officials, including as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, U.S. climate envoy John Kerry, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, visited Beijing in the months after the June meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the Chinese president did not.
Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho; Bill Cassidy, R-La. ; Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. ; John Kennedy, R-La. ; and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. round out the legislative delegation.