The new number one
In addition to the military issues, there is also a whole list of so-called smaller issues, emphasizes Oriana Skyler Mastro, China expert at Stanford University: “Things like an agreement on fentanyl. Most of the raw materials for this synthetic drug come from China. Progress on these so-called small issues could in turn help make progress on the big, serious issues.”
For Mastro, the bottom line is also about the fundamental question: “Who is the world’s number one power today – is it still the USA or is it China?” In the past, China focused primarily on its direct relationship with the USA. In the meantime, Beijing’s main strategy is to win over the developing and emerging countries of the global South: “It really looks like we, the USA, are now just the sideshow from China’s point of view. The main arena is increasingly China’s relationship with the developing countries.”
The internal problems of the USA
The APEC summit could also show just how much the USA is currently struggling with internal problems: Biden will have to make quite a few phone calls to Washington in San Francisco in order to prevent a shutdown, an extensive standstill in government business, by the end of the week.
The President has to negotiate the next budget with the Republicans in the House of Representatives. US media speculate that Biden may even have to leave the APEC summit early as a result.
