'China and US will look to iron out differences'
An expert on geopolitics and foreign policies said he expects Beijing and Washington to work together and iron out their differences during the upcoming Apec summit. Brian Wong, an assistant professor of political philosophy at the University of Hong Kong, also said Hong Kong has to find ways to avoid being caught up in Sino-US tensions. Wong said a meeting between President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit in San Francisco this week is expected to touch on issues such as American restrictions on certain Chinese technologies and the Israel-Hamas conflict. "As America enters into its election year next year, and also as China seeks to really inject great enthusiasm into its recovery drive for its economy, the question is, can both leaders at the highest levels arrive at a temporary modus vivendi, in other words, an agreement of how to disagree and to manage the differences going forward into the upcoming 12 to 18 months?" he told RTHK. Artificial intelligence and the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons are also expected to be on the agenda. But Wong said he doesn't expect major breakthroughs in the talks. Financial Secretary Paul Chan will represent Hong Kong at the Apec summit on behalf of Chief Executive John Lee, and Wong said Chan's business experience will be beneficial. "We will be able to see the thawing in business-to-business ties, a restoration and rejuvenation of the confidence of the investor community in America and beyond," Wong said. "And above all, an emphasis that it is vital for all countries and economies, not just Hong Kong as a city, but also China as its country and of course the US at large to create a safe sort of firewall that prevents geopolitics and political tensions from spilling over" into non-sensitive areas such as investment, he added. Wong also said he doesn't think a bill proposed by a group of US lawmakers to sanction Hong Kong officials and judges would derail a Xi-Biden meeting. "I do not anticipate then this call for sanctions as having any direct and immediate impact on a prospective meeting between the two national leaders of the largest economies in the world. But what it will certainly do is, once again, reflect the status of Hong Kong as not just a site of international cooperation and opening up for China, but also geopolitical contestation."