What are the differences between Chinese (https://t.me/asianomics/1956) and American (https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/11/15/readout-of-president-joe-bidens-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-2/) readouts of the talks between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping?

1️⃣ “a candid and constructive discussion” (US) – “a candid and in-depth exchange of views” (China). This is always the case, when officials from the two countries meet. I guess there is no hidden meaning behind it, it’s just interesting to note.

2️⃣ Economy and trade comes for Xi first. Counternarcotics and AI, which were the top priorities for Biden administration, comes last for Chinese leader. By noting it, we can see why Xi and Biden agreed to meet. Xi needs Biden to ease the export restrictions on chips and not to decouple, Biden needs Xi to counter fentanyl crisis.

In the end, two sides agreed to launch a working group on counternarcotics (Biden’s win), but there was no progress on easing the restrictions (Xi’s loss). But Xi will try to solve the economy problem with other means, for example, by attracting American investment in China, while giving speech at the dinner event with US businessmen.

The working group may be seen as a concession by Xi, but he didn’t get anything constructive in return. However, the drug crisis in the US makes China the bad guy, so some reputational damages can be managed by implementing the measure.

3️⃣ Xi told that Biden reaffirmed his commitment to “five noes”: the United States does not seek a new Cold War, does not seek to change China’s system, does not seek to revitalize its alliances against China, does not support “Taiwan independence”, and has no intention to have a conflict with China. This, however, was not mentioned in the US readout.

This is the second time when this thing happens. “Five noes” were absent from the readout of the meeting between the leaders in 2022. Although Biden may have said such things, the Chinese interpretation seems like an effort to lock down language that could be used to accuse the United States of breaking promises.

4️⃣ According to Chinese readout, the United States is glad to see prosperity in China. It does not seek to contain or suppress China’s development or to decouple with China.

This is also absent in the US version. It only says that “the world expects the United States and China to manage competition responsibly to prevent it from veering into conflict, confrontation, or a new Cold War.”

5️⃣ No mention of Ukraine in Chinese readout – “the two heads of state exchanged views on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and other international and regional issues of mutual concern.” According to the US version, Biden spoke about both Israel and Ukraine.

6️⃣ The US readout has a whole passage about China’s human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and military activity in South China Sea and East China Sea. It is not mentioned in the Chinese version (no wonder).

7️⃣ China asked the US to stop providing Taiwan with weapons. It is absent in the US version. Biden once again reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to defending its Indo-Pacific allies. We can say that Taiwan is also an ally, so the arms won’t stop coming to the island.