Xi Insists

Improving U.S.-China relations will require President Xi to make real compromises. So far, he’s unyielding

- Michael Schuman

As Joe Biden settles into the White House, there’s been endless debate about what his China policy should, could, and will be. Yet it takes two superpowers to tango, so Xi Jinping’s approach to Biden will be every bit as critical as Biden’s to Xi—perhaps even more so. Any significant improvement in U.S.-China relations is impossible unless Xi is willing to dance.

Is he? We don’t know with any certainty. Xi doesn’t share very much about his thinking on U.S. policy. He rarely ever even mentions the U.S. by name. As with so much else in China, we’re stuck parsing Xi’s comments, dissecting his actions, and making some educated projections.

A picture does emerge from the murk. And unfortunately for global stability and prosperity, it doesn’t look good.

The reason can be found in how Xi has changed China and China’s role in the world. Donald Trump’s rejection of traditional U.S. foreign policy principles grabbed the headlines, but Xi’s break with Beijing’s past practices has been just as dramatic. And while Trump has been shown the door by American voters, Xi isn’t going anywhere, and neither is his agenda. In that sense, Xi’s impact on the world may prove to be greater and more fundamental than Trump’s. And that may make China’s rapprochement with the U.S. difficult, if not downright impossible.