G20, handshake between Xi and Biden: "Putin did not tell us the truth"

The American and Chinese presidents, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, have just met in Bali, greeting each other with a warm handshake ahead of their first in-person summit

.

Meanwhile, a senior Chinese official to the Financial Times reveals to the Financial Times that

about the Russian invasion of Ukraine .

"If he had told us we would not have found ourselves in such a difficult situation. There were over 6,000 Chinese citizens in Ukraine and some of them died during the evacuation, although we cannot say it publicly."

Putin himself said last month that he did not tell "dear friend" Xi of the impending attack.

"As leaders of the world's major economies, we have to manage the competition between our two countries," US President Joe Biden told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, in the opening bars of their bilateral in Bali.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Biden said.

"It is a pleasure to see you again since the last time in 2017

"This is what President Xi Jinping said to his American counterpart Joe Biden in the opening bars of their bilateral in Bali." We must find the right course of relations through candid exchanges ", added Xi. Xi was the first to reach the hotel in Nusa Dua, in Bali, where the flags of China and the USA had been placed for the meeting, the first greetings and the usual photos to immortalize the event. Biden, on the other hand, arrived shortly after with a great pace from his left: the two leaders greeted each other warmly, shaking hands and talking intently until the US president used both hands, immediately reciprocated by Xi. After the greetings and smiles given to the cameras, the two set off together towards the room where the two delegations are discussing their respective "red lines ", as repeated several times by the head of the White House, part of an agenda that ranges from Taiwan to Russia's war against Ukraine.

G20, handshake between Biden and Xi Jinping

President

arrived in Bali, Indonesia, with a special plane in preparation for participation in the

summit .

This was announced by the state network CCTV, according to which, "at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo, President Xi Jinping will participate in the 17th G20 summit in Bali from 14 to 17 November".

In just over an hour, Xi will meet with US President

. 

China urges the United States to properly manage the differences, in the run-up to the first summit in person between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, stressing "the safeguarding of China's sovereignty, security and development interests", said that Beijing hopes that "the US will meet, manage differences properly, promote mutually beneficial cooperation. , avoid misunderstandings and wrong evaluations, bringing relationships back to a healthy and stable development ".

Evidence of Understanding

US President Joe Biden aims to identify

with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping when the two leaders meet in Bali, on the eve of the G20 in Indonesia, for the first face to face in person since settlement in the White House.

The hope is to "get out of this meeting with areas where the two countries, the two presidents and their teams can work cooperatively on substantive issues", anticipated National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, increasingly central to diplomatic strategies. Usa, aboard Air Force One bound for Bali.

For the US president, it is necessary that the two countries "manage the differences and prevent competition from turning into conflict. I am committed to keeping the lines of communication open between you and me, but our governments are involved, because our two countries they have so much to deal with "- he said - As leaders of" our two nations, in my opinion, we share the responsibility of demonstrating that China and the United States can manage our differences, prevent competition from becoming something even close to a conflict and find ways to work together on pressing global issues that require our mutual cooperation. "

Few world leaders, aside from Russian friend

, have spent as much time with Xi as Biden.

When the latter visited China in August 2011, the two, then vice-presidents, had five meetings in six days: the bond established then remains today among the few signs of hope to cling to in relations between the United States and China. .

Biden and Xi have spoken five times so far between phone calls and video links, but the efforts have been unsuccessful.

After four difficult years under Donald Trump's presidency, China hoped that Biden would reduce the turmoil, but

.

The United States is concerned about Beijing's assertiveness about Taiwan and the East and South China seas, the rapidly growing nuclear arsenal and refusal to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

China, on the other hand, accuses Washington of encouraging the independence forces in Taipei (which it sees as its inalienable territory and to be reunified even by force, if necessary) and of creating partnerships and alliances such as 'Quad' and 'Aukus' for the sole purpose of countering the new ambitions of the Middle Empire, throttling the export of microchips and technological material.

Biden announced that the leaders will draw their "red lines" in the meeting which is estimated to last several hours on the eve.

"Not C'

The two show up at the Bali appointment strengthened on the domestic front, but also with some problems.

The XX Congress of the Communist Party crowned Xi in October with the unprecedented third term as general secretariat, but the economy is in serious difficulty and the zero tolerance policy at Covid continues to block the country.

On the American side, however, the midterm vote went beyond the rosiest expectations and Biden, despite struggling with stellar inflation, was able to celebrate the confirmation of the democratic control of the Senate just yesterday.