China's Xi has cemented his power at the sixth plenum. Now he's ready to meet Biden virtually

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Senior officials on Thursday approved a resolution on the party’s “major achievements and historic experiences” since its founding 100 years ago, placing Xi on the same pedestal as the nation’s founding father Mao Zedong and reformist leader Deng Xiaoping, who unleashed an economic boom that turned China into the world’s second-largest economy.

And with this elevated stature and undisputed authority within China now established, Xi is preparing to sit down with his American counterpart Joe Biden in a virtual meeting Monday — the first between the two leaders since Biden became President in January.

The scheduled talks with Biden come amid intensifying competition between the two superpowers across a number of fronts, as well as China’s deteriorating relations with much of the developed world and a growing list of its neighbors.

By consolidating his position at home and attempting to build bridges with Biden, Xi is hoping to smooth a path to next year’s 20th Party Congress, during which he is expected to claim a third term — extending his time in office by at least another five years.

On Thursday, Xi warned Asia-Pacific nations against a return to Cold War-era tensions, in a veiled reference to the Biden administration’s efforts to rally allies and partners in the region to confront Beijing’s rising influence.

“The Asia-Pacific region cannot and should not relapse into the confrontation and division of the Cold War era,” Xi told the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in a recorded video. “Attempts to draw ideological lines or form small circles on geopolitical grounds are bound to fail,” he said.

Xi has built his domestic legitimacy around a vision of “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” which vows to restore China to its ancient glories and rightful place on the world stage.

Since the pandemic, the Chinese leader has doubled down on a narrative that “the East is rising and the West is falling,” touting an “unprecedented window of opportunity” for…

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Source : cnn