U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will discuss how to prevent World War III at their meeting in November, international expert Ruslan Osypenko said in an interview with Radio NV on Oct. 27.
Russia and China are taking advantage of the West’s indecision, in particular, U.S. indecision on Russia and the desire of some countries to return to business as usual with Russia, in order to increase their influence, Osypenko said.
“The conflict is in the Middle East, but it can break out not only in the Middle East, (and it is) is already understood in the European Union, that China – which could influence its proxies, Iran and Russia – has simply taken a neutral, wait-and-see attitude,” the international expert said.
China will thus use its influence as a tool and will discuss the satisfaction of its national interests at the next meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, Osypenko said.
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He also suggested that the indecision of Western countries has led to the world being “set on fire” and on the path “to World War III.”
“Regional conflicts can merge into a big war,” the international expert said.
“I think Biden and Xi Jinping will talk about how to prevent this big war at the meeting in November,” Osypenko said.
“But, of course, China will first and foremost satisfy its own interests. Iran, the conflict in the Middle East, and Russia, the war with Ukraine, are tools for it. These are tools for discussions with the United States. But the positive thing I heard was that China said it wants to negotiate.”
Osypenko argued that neither the United States nor China is economically, politically, and security-wise ready for a direct confrontation, and “the world has become bipolar, China and the United States are setting the agenda for the 21st century, and they need to reach an agreement, to solve global issues such as preventing nuclear war, non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, calming these conflicts, and restoring or trying to restore global trade.”
The Middle East was “set on fire” to use it as an instrument of influence in the negotiations, according to Osypenko.
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“The talks will be about the status quo of Eurasian security, from the point of view of Russia and China, NATO expansion undermines the status quo that was established after World War II,” he said, noting that China is bargaining “at the expense of our subjectivity.”
“This is how China and Russia see it. China has said that we need to abandon the Cold War mentality and bloc approaches, which is a hint that NATO should not expand. Translated from diplomatic language to simple language, this means: Ukraine should remain neutral, and then there will be a balance in the Eurasian security system. Otherwise, if you take Ukraine into the European camp, you ensure your security and your well-being at the expense of Russia’s well-being. And you can’t do this, as both China and Russia have repeatedly stated.”
According to The Washington Post, Biden and Xi Jinping will meet in person in November 2023 in San Francisco.
Over the past few months, Biden has repeatedly stated that he expects to meet with Xi “sometime in the future, near-term.” Last month, Xi skipped the G-20 leaders’ summit in New Delhi, which Biden expressed disappointment about.
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David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
