China has signaled a desire to play nice with the U.S. now that it is facing an economic slowdown.
Xi's vice president, Han Zheng, said Wednesday that China is "ready to strengthen communication and dialogue with the United States at all levels, advance mutually beneficial cooperation, properly manage differences and jointly address global challenges," reported the Agence France Presse.
Han appears eager to set an optimistic tone ahead of Chinese dictator Xi Jinping's meeting with President Joe Biden in San Francisco on Nov. 15. ABC News indicated the talks will be taking place off to the side of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
The bar for a successful meeting is fairly low granted the last time the two leaders met — at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, last year — Biden reportedly objected to the communist state's "coercive and increasingly aggressive actions" toward the island nation of Taiwan.
Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the communist regime, noted this week, "The road to San Francisco is not smooth, and we cannot be on autopilot."
"Both sides must ... truly implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, eliminate interference and overcome obstacles, enhance consensus and accumulate results," said Wang. "The world is big enough for the two countries to develop themselves and prosper together."
The apparent desire for improved relations is not, however, limited to the Chinese regime.
A new Morning Consult poll indicates the share of Chinese adults who said the U.S. was an "enemy" dropped from over 80% in April 2022 to 48% last month. A sliver minority figured the U.S. for friendly in early 2022, but now 45% regard the U.S. in positive terms, reported Axios.
Morning Consult noted that Chinese adults' softening stance on the United States "is likely driven more by public anxiety over the country's ailing economy than by a geopolitical about-face."
China is presently facing astronomical youth unemployment, a collapsing real estate industry, debt crises, and diminished confidence amongst foreign investors.
Liu Shijin, a member of the People's Bank of China's monetary policy committee attempted to put an optimistic spin on the Chinese economy Wednesday, stating, "China is still in the stage of medium-speed growth of about 5%, and it is possible to have the potential of medium-speed growth for five to 10 years," reported Reuters.
Liu conceded that key drivers of economic growth have slowed in the Asian nation, prompting China to seek out a new growth model. Continued tensions with the U.S. are unlikely to help China get over its slump.
Xi told U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer last month, "We have 1,000 reasons to improve China-US relations, but not one reason to ruin them," reported the AFP.
Blaze News has detailed a few reasons in recent months to doubt Xi's desire for a mutually beneficial relationship, such as when his regime:
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