US and China positions appear to be hostile - Kevin Rudd

 

 

Former Australian PM Kevin Rudd has been in the BBC's Singapore bureau this morning - he offered what he called a "deeply realist" reading of yesterday's Biden-Xi meeting.

"They rearticulated each other’s fundamental bottom lines, and the Chinese used the term 'insurmountable red lines' over Taiwan," he said.

"Nonetheless what they pointed to was a pathway forward to what I describe as stabilisation mechanisms for the overall relationship."

Rudd - who is now president of the Asia Society - said it was welcome that that the two countries were adopting a more conciliatory tone, and that China in particular had made some concrete suggestions.

"They talk about putting new protections into the relationship, they talk about need for a new security safety net – an 'anquanwang' - they talk about need for senior officials to maintain strategic communications and the resuscitation of the US-China joint working group, as well as indications that bilateral finance and climate work can resume.

"These add up to a lowering of the temperature - but we should be under no illusions how much work remains to be done, given that their ultimate positions at this stage appear to be irreconcilable."

Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory. Taiwan sees itself as distinct from the mainland. Biden has repeatedly said that US forces would help Taiwan defend itself if China invaded.