PALIKIR, Pohnpei—On November 15th, 2022, His Excellency David W. Panuelo—President of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)—released the following statement regarding the recent meeting between His Excellency Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, and His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China (China), on the margins of the Group of Twenty (G20) meeting held in Bali, Indonesia. The President’s statement, in full, is below.
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“The Federated States of Micronesia and I, in my capacity as its President, recognizes, appreciates, and applauds the United States and China for the recent meeting of their Heads of State on the margins of the G20 in Indonesia. The expansion of direct and in-person communication between the U.S. and Chinese Governments is central towards the responsible pursuit of strategic competition in a way that greatly reduces the likelihood of outright conflict.”
“It is worth emphasizing why the meeting between President Biden and President Xi is significant to the Government and People of Micronesia. Limited connectivity between our Nation’s closest allies and friends poses the very real risk of dehumanization of the other side, the loss of hope that problems can be tackled, and a fatalistic attitude about the relationship’s trajectory, which can plausibly lead to intensified planning for worst-case scenarios and a continued escalation of tensions. Having an honest peer-to-peer conversation, by contrast, humanizes the other side; engenders hope that problems can be tackled; and reverses attitudes about a relationship’s trajectory, including the development of opportunities to de-escalate tensions, and pathways for solving truly global challenges, such as Climate Change.”
“The Federated States of Micronesia recognizes, appreciates, and applauds that both President Biden and President Xi have agreed to empower their key senior officials to maintain communication, and to deepen constructive efforts on tackling Climate Change, global macroeconomic stability, health security, and food security. It is certainly the case that the Federated States of Micronesia, and I would humbly suggest that this is also true for every island in our Blue Pacific Continent, views Climate Change as an existential security threat, and sees an intertwined relationship between combatting Climate Change with ensuring economic, health, and food security. It is positive for Micronesia, and it is positive for the Pacific, that the Americans and the Chinese partner together on these important issues for the good of the Planet, and so the resumption of cooperation in these areas is both noteworthy and significant.”
“The Federated States of Micronesia further recognizes, appreciates, and applauds President Biden’s and President Xi’s agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought and can never be won. Our Nation’s brothers and sisters in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and our Japanese friends with whom we share a special bond or Kizuna, still deal with the effects of such weapons seventy years after their use. In this regard, the Federated States of Micronesia calls on both the United States and China to reiterate their agreement that a nuclear war should never be fought, and can never be won, to the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), who both continue to irresponsibly threaten the use of nuclear weapons.”
“The Federated States of Micronesia recognizes, appreciates, and applauds President Biden’s and President Xi’s honest discussions regarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. In this regard, I will note that the U.S. White House’s readout of the meeting says that ‘the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo by either side, and the world has an interest in the maintenance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.’ I also note that China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ readout of the meeting says that ‘[China] hopes to see, and are all along committed to, peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.’
“It is the view of the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia that dialogue is essential for peace. In this regard, the Federated States of Micronesia solicits the United States and China to also consider enhancing their People-to-People ties. It is to the knowledge of our Government that, in 2018, approximately 11,000 American students were studying in China and that, as of 2022, that number is now less than 300. As the President of a country that has benefited tremendously from genuine People-to-People engagement with the United States and China, such as through the U.S. Peace Corps, and that has led to our People’s positive view of both the Americans and the Chinese, I believe that it is in the interest of peace and stability, in the Indo-Pacific at large and the Blue Pacific Continent specifically, for more Americans to experience and know that China is not a monolith, and that the Chinese People are adept at demonstrating peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity, as well as for more Chinese to experience and know that the United States is not a monolith, and that the American People are equally adept at demonstrating peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity.”
“Finally, the Federated States of Micronesia recognizes, appreciates, and applauds that President Biden and President Xi have agreed that the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, will visit China at some to-be-determined date to follow-up on the recent discussions. It is the hope of the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia that U.S-China relations will continue to improve, as the only way for this Paradise in Our Backyards, as well as our Blue Pacific Continent, to escape the possibility of collapse due to anthropogenic Climate Change is for our Enduring Partners and Great Friends to work together for the benefit of each other, our collective humanity, and our Planet.”
