Xi saves face by meeting Biden but accomplishes little

  

Xi saves face by meeting Biden but accomplishes little

It wasn't too long ago that trouble at home meant staying at home for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
 
In September, Xi canceled his attendance at the Group of 20 summit in New Delhi to deal with domestic issues -- tumultuous politics, a power struggle within the military and a deteriorating economy.
 
Though the issues persist, Xi this week flew all the way to California to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, for the first time in a year. Paradoxically, his trip was driven by a behind-the-scenes power struggle at home.
 
Months ago, at the Chinese Communist Party's annual summer conclave, party elders told Xi's leadership team that China should avoid at all costs destroying its important relationship with the U.S. They also delivered some harsh advice on the domestic economy.
 
Pressure is also mounting from Xi's fellow "second-generation reds" -- children of revolutionary-era leaders. Perhaps most prominently of these is Liu Yuan, the son of former Chinese President Liu Shaoqi and a childhood friend of Xi's, who published a paper that implicitly criticizes Xi's "autocracy."