Xi Jinping

Given the flux in bilateral ties, the gesture appears to be a deceptive genuflection by Washington which has fought off allegations of a "Thucydides' Trap" by Beijing amid rising tensions between the largest economy and the most populous country.

The high-stakes meet is set amid increasing hostility among the world's two largest economies. "The two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition between the US and the PRC, as well as ways to work together where our interests align. Throughout, President Biden will make clear US intentions and priorities and be clear and candid about our concerns with the PRC," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.

The ostensible reason for Xi's lack of foreign travel is Covid-19, though officials have not said so explicitly. It is also a calculation that has reinforced a deeper shift in China's foreign and domestic policy", the report added. China, under Xi, no longer feels compelled to cooperate - or at least be seen as cooperating - with the US and its allies on anything other than its own terms.

Xi made the remarks in a reply to North Korean leader Kim's earlier letter to mark the 72nd Chinese National Day, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In the reply, Xi said he has highly taken note of relations between North Korea and China, and expressed his willingness to raise bilateral ties to a "new level", Yonhap News Agency reported citing KCNA. North Korea and China have emphasised their close relations amid the paused nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and an escalating rivalry between the two superpowers.

As Xi has launched a nationwide political campaign built around the Maoist nostrum of "common prosperity" in response to China's deep income inequalities, investors have become nervous about a broad reversal of fortune, Jeremy Mark writes in Atlantic Council. The Evergrande crisis only underlines their concerns about the prospects for China's property sector, which, ironically.

Xi was speaking remotely at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Xinhua news agency reported.

The current crisis in its observer state remains the biggest topical issue of regional and international importance for the SCO gathering, which also includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, with the Former President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the presidential palace and the Taliban regime still not recognised by the world.

The reason behind Xi Jinping’s refusal is the constraint in the US and China relationship, the report said. Xi insisted that Washington should first adopt a less strident tone toward Beijing. Another reason cited by a US official was that the rebuttal was due to the ongoing concerns of COVID-19.

The in-depth communication concerning the bilateral relations as well as major international issues between the two heads of state is vital for development of the bilateral ties, and the two sides should bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible for the good of the people in both countries.

The White House said that the discussion, as per Biden, was part of Washington's ongoing effort to "responsibly manage the competition" between the US and China. Meanwhile, Beijing's state-run Xinhua news agency said that the two leaders "had candid, in-depth and extensive strategic communication and exchanges on China-US relations and relevant issues of mutual interest".