NEWS//Biden and Xi: What to expect

Axios China’s opinion is that "China's leaders see President-elect Biden as a more predictable, but not necessarily less formidable, U.S. leader." It adds, "The Biden administration isn't likely to confront China quite as directly as Trump has, but it is also more likely to bring allies, making U.S. moves harder for China to counter in the long run."

CNBC agrees, "Analysts have pointed out that a Biden administration would be able to work with U.S. allies more effectively than Trump to pursue a more cohesive strategy against China. One of the few issues both Republicans and Democrats have come to agree on is a tougher policy against the Communist Party-led country.”

Biden and Xi have spent time with each other. When both men served as vice presidents of their countries, they met in China in 2011. The Obama administration arranged a six-day tour of China so Biden "could form a deep, personal relationship with Xi," according to Nikkei Asia. "The two spent many hours together during that trip and subsequent mutual visits…."

There are signs that China is seeking harmony in its relationship with the U.S. and that it would welcome a more productive relationship with Washington. For example, in recent months, China has toned down the hawkish rhetoric of its "Wolf Warriors." According to the New York Times, "top Chinese diplomats have called for 'peaceful coexistence' with the United States." Nonetheless, the article continues, "China’s underlying view that the United States is a strategic and ideological rival bent on suppressing its rise has not changed."

Nikkei Asia suggests that a personal relationship between Biden and Xi "does not guarantee future improvements in U.S.-China relations."

"A Biden White House is likely to oversee a steadier and more coherent China policy than the Trump administration," ForeignPolicy.com says. "But a more stable approach does not mean a soft one, since there is now a bipartisan recognition in the United States that China is a strategic competitor. Indeed, while Beijing may appreciate soon having a more predictable set of interlocutors, it should not expect them to be more pliable."

Sources: Axios China, CNBC, New York Times, Nikkei Asia, Foreign Policy