G-20 Summit: Will it dilute US-China friction?

All eyes are on the meeting that is set to take place on the sidelines of the summit, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden.

All eyes are on the G-20 meet to be held in Bali, Indonesia this week. Observers say the summit is highly significant. It is likely to focus on the food and energy security that has specifically been imperiled in the wake of the Ukraine war. India, the world's largest democracy, is going to take over the presidency of the Group at this summit. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to use this opportunity to invite all other G-20 leaders to the next summit in India in September next year.

Of particular interest would be the meeting that is all set to take place on the sidelines of the summit, between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Joe Biden. President Xi's trip to the Bali summit would be his first overseas journey since he secured a third term for his current post at the helm in China last month. He and Biden would meet face-to-face for the first time since the latter entered the White House in January 2020. They are likely to talk about several contentious issues, including Taiwan, Ukraine, North Korea, human rights and China's economic practices.

In the recent years, there have been serious frictions between China and the United States, the world's two most powerful states, economically as well as militarily. The US has taken measures to restrict China's access to advanced technologies. It has banned major US technology firms from selling microchips to Beijing. It has also been lobbying its European and Asia-Pacific allies to do the same.

Relations between Beijing and Washington have sunk to its lowest point in decades since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August this year. Given its traditional stance on Taiwan, Beijing saw it as a major breach of its sovereignty. It responded with days of military exercises that effectively blockaded the island.

President Biden has repeatedly said Washington would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by mainland China. He has declared he would not be making any "fundamental concessions" over Washington's support to Taiwan.

On its part, China has toughened its rhetoric over Taiwan . During the Chinese Communist Party congress last month, President Xi vowed not to renounce the use of force to bring about reunification of island Taiwan with mainland China.

A dominant thinking across the international strategic spectrum is that the current US-China frictions must be managed so that they do not lead to any serious confrontation between the two powers. A major confrontation between them would be detrimental to the interests of the whole world today.

Presidents Xi and Biden are likely to focus on figuring out the red lines in their operations and deepening their understanding of each other's foreign policy priorities and intentions. It is to be seen if and how they go about their whole business.

(Jagdish N. Singh is a senior journalist based in New Delhi. He is also Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute, New York)

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