President Biden met with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on Saturday in Peru, closing a chapter in relations between the rival superpowers as Donald J. Trump has promised to take a more aggressive approach to Beijing when he becomes president again in January.
Mr. Biden’s session with Mr. Xi, during a gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, was most likely his last chance to challenge Mr. Xi directly after four years in which he sought to compete with China but avoid open conflict.
The White House has pointed to its shuttle diplomacy and efforts to open lines of communication as important steps in avoiding a spiral in relations. But as Mr. Biden — and his vision for the world — heads for the exits, recent developments suggest that China has little interest in placating Washington.
American officials have expressed alarm over China’s increasingly close relationship with the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin. Chinese hackers were recently accused of breaking into the American telecommunications system and obtaining information from the phones of U.S. officials.
Beijing has also continued to flex its muscle in Asia, with U.S. officials voicing growing concern about China’s military exercises around Taiwan and its broader aggression in the contested South China Sea.
Before the meeting with Mr. Xi, Mr. Biden’s aides said he planned to confront the Chinese leader over China’s threats against Taiwan, its human rights violations and its support for Russia in Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Mr. Biden also planned to discuss the U.S. goal of transforming a Kenya-led security mission in Haiti to combat gangs into a formal U.N. peacekeeping mission, which would provide more money and personnel. China has expressed opposition to such a shift.
It was unclear how receptive Mr. Xi would be to any of Mr. Biden’s entreaties, with the clock quickly winding down on his presidency. China is now focused on preparing for the return of Mr. Trump, who has promised to punish Beijing with high tariffs on its exported goods. Mr. Trump has also chosen Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who has taken a hard line on China, as his nominee for secretary of state.
The Biden administration in many ways continued the tough approach toward Beijing initiated by the first Trump administration, including on tariffs, while adding restrictions intended to slow the Chinese military’s technological advancements.
Mr. Biden’s top aides said that countering Beijing, particularly around the Taiwan Strait, must be a continued priority for the incoming Trump administration.
Given the size of the risk, “that’s something that needs to be at the top of the agenda,” Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, told reporters on Air Force One this week. “The incoming administration is going to have to focus on that right out of the gate, just as we’ve had to focus on that all along.”
For the past year, the Biden administration has tried to smooth tensions with China after the relationship hit a low point over a Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the United States and was ordered shot down by Mr. Biden. The two nations also tangled after Mr. Biden twice called Mr. Xi a “dictator” last year.
The leaders last met face to face in November 2023 in Northern California, where officials from both nations signaled a small improvement in the relationship. Since then, Mr. Biden’s aides have described steady progress in talks with Beijing and credited China’s effort to stem the flow of materials used to produce fentanyl.
Still, even as Mr. Biden has sought to steady relations, the fierce competition between the two countries was on vivid display during the APEC meeting in Lima.
China has courted Peru as part of a broader strategy to invest in smaller powers that feel neglected by the West. Earlier this week, Mr. Xi joined President Dina Boluarte of Peru to open a Chinese-funded port in a city 40 miles north of Lima.
Washington has warned that such projects could be used by the Chinese military in the future and potentially bring national security risks.
Mr. Biden has often cited his long and complicated relationship with Mr. Xi as evidence of his diplomatic skills. He often speaks of getting to know Mr. Xi when he was the vice president in the administration of President Barack Obama.
After returning to the White House from China in 2011, Mr. Biden told his aides that “I think we’ve got our hands full with this guy.”
But soon, the relationship with Mr. Xi will no longer be Mr. Biden’s responsibility to manage.
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