The president of China, Xi Jinping will visit the United States next week. Xi will take place in many meetings, including the 70th anniversary of the United Nations. But few would dispute that the most important will be that with President Barack Obama. With so many developments in recent months, there will doubtless be a great deal for the two world leaders to talk about. BRIC Plus News imagines the key topics that should be up for discussion.
America’s trade deals
[via Occupy]
America’s trade agreements should be at the forefront of any discussions. Upcoming deals are already extremely controversial among a large section of the American (and European) populace. It would be of little surprise if Xi Jinping was eager to discuss it. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement between the United States and 11 other countries. These countries are in Asia, Oceania, and Latin America, and crucially include Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. These countries are extremely close to China, which is a conspicuous absence from the list. As the world’s factory, China is essentially being targeted by the United States, who wishes to win more export deals, and to challenge this dominance. A similar deal, signed with the European Union, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), seeks to challenge China’s dominance in Europe. With these deals, the two giants move another step closer towards economic warfare.
Africa
[via Railway Technology]
Africa is another potential battleground for China and the United States. China has become very involved in the continent over the past few years, with trade in 2014 estimated to have reached $222bn in value. China is involved in intensive infrastructure projects throughout the African continent. In his visit to Kenya earlier this year, President Obama announced that the United States, in association with the World Bank and a number of private businesses, would invest $33bn into African economies. Though this is significantly less than China, it is the beginning of an attempted to unseat the country’s status in Africa. But trade and investment are not all China is exploring. China’s international arms exports increased 143% within 5 years, displacing Germany as the world’s third largest arms dealer. Crucially, China sells to 18 different African countries, including Sudan. Given the long civil war (which ended only when South Sudan seceded), this is certainly a contentious issue.
Syria
[via CFR]
The issue of Syria is always at the forefront. China and the United States have strongly opposing views. China and Russia were two countries to block a motion tabled at the United Nations for arming the Free Syrian Army. Russia, a close ally of China, has deployed groundtroops in Syria, in support of the Assad regime. China has repeated that Assad’s legitimacy cannot be questioned. The United States has remained a staunch opponent of Assad, and is involved in both fighting ISIS in airstrikes, and beginning to train ‘moderate’ rebels to topple Assad. The complex nature of the Syrian conflict has brought much international tensions. With it once again hitting the headlines, Xi Jinping and Barack Obama can not avoid discussing it.
