Decoding China: Why Beijing and Washington need each other
"This is a beautiful vehicle," US President Joe Biden commented while saying goodbye to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week in front of the Filoli Estate, outside San Francisco.
The two leaders had met face-to-face for the first time in more than a year, for the occasion of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
"It's made in China — a Hongqi," Xi replied, standing next to his V12-powered, bulletproof limo. "Open the door, have a look!"
Biden did so, and then pointed at his own presidential limo — "It's like that Cadilac we have over there. They call it 'The Beast.'"
"The Beast" follows Biden everywhere in the world, as it has followed several US presidents before him. It's the same with Xi and his presidential limo — he takes two Hongqi cars with him, although he only started using them for diplomatic trips a year ago. This is the first time the Chinese-made presidential limos were driving on an American street.
The symbolic meaning of this episode is clear for both Xi and the Chinese public — it shows how Beijing's growing self-confidence can be felt, seen and even touched. The United States and China see each other as both partners and rivals. During the visit, Xi even described the US as a "friend."
"It was as if Xi was giving a philosophical lecture on the relationship between two great powers during the talks in San Francisco," said Xuewu Gu, a professor of politics at the University of Bonn in Germany.
In the end, both Xi and Biden understood that the only way forward is to close ranks, according to Gu.
Two 'helmsmen of bilateral relations'
It would not be possible for China and the US to stop cooperating altogether, Xi said in San Francisco. At the same time, it would be unrealistic for one side to try to change the other.
"We are both helmsmen of bilateral relations," Xi told Biden, pointing to the responsibility toward "the citizens, the international community, and our time."
'Real progress' in US-China talks between Biden, Xi
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