Biden, Xi 'Likely to Ink Agreements on Consulates, Easing Visa Restrictions'

WASHINGTON, (Sputnik) – US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are due shortly to hold a virtual meeting when they will probably reach agreements to reopen consulates and ease visa restrictions, according to a report from Politico on Thursday, in which it cited its own sources.

Although no major breakthroughs are expected during the meeting, which has not yet been scheduled, the two sides could make modest progress in other areas, the report suggested.

The bilateral closing of consulates in July 2020 marked the peak of tensions between the US and China during Trump's presidency. Trump ordered China's consulate in Houston to be closed on 21 July 2020, citing alleged "violations of [US] sovereignty and intimidation" of American people, as well as purported theft of intellectual property by China. Washington additionally claimed that Beijing carried out its espionage operations, including industrial espionage, on American soil via the said consulate, although he presented no evidence to back up his claims.

Beijing condemned Washington's actions and threatened to retaliate. After the US kept the order to vacate the consulate within 72 hours, China responded by closing the American consulate in Chengdu on 27 July 2020. Beijing claimed that some of the US consulate's employees were "conducting activities not in line with their identities" and alleged that their actions were directed at undermining the security interests of the People's Republic of China.

Before ordering the consulate in Houston to be closed, the Trump administration had already exerted pressure on China in several ways: specifically it launched a trade war with the PRC in 2018, accusing it of abusing existing trade practices. The US further increased the frequency of its military missions in the disputed waters of the South China Sea despite protests and warnings from Beijing.

Finally, Trump signed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act passed by Congress in June 2020, which introduced sanctions against China over the alleged illegal detention of more than one million Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang - something Beijing denies. In addition, the Trump administration designated China as the "greatest long-term threat" to the US, initiating a policy directed at containing and deterring it.