In the spotlight: Biden-Poutin summit, limited expectations and results
Audio 04:34
President Joe Biden meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in Geneva, Switzerland.
AP - Patrick Semansky
By: Guillaume Naudin Follow
10 mins
Publicity
A photo is on the front page of most newspapers.
It is obviously that of the handshake or at least the meeting between Vladimir Poutin and Joe Biden yesterday in Geneva.
The Russian president and his American counterpart spoke for three hours, a little less than expected, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
As if the two men had nothing more to say to each other than they had planned.
In fact, the
New York Times
tells us
, no major decisions were announced during the two separate press conferences that followed this meeting. It was just decided that the two Russian and American ambassadors, recalled for months, would resume their posts. The two also agreed to let experts discuss strategic issues and cyber attacks.
For the
Washington Post
, these meager results are rather positive, and if they are seen like this, it is that the expectations were low, even pessimistic.
On the contrary, we can read in the
New York Times
, what remains at the end is a form of stubborn optimism from Joe Biden, despite the findings of disagreement on many subjects.
Vladimir Putin made Vladimir Putin by denying accusations of Russian hackers' cyberattacks on the United States and by claiming that the human rights situation is worse in the United States than in Russia, using the lawsuits against rioters in Russia as an example. January 6 at the Capitol.
This summit is highly commented on outside the two countries concerned.
The
Global Times
, the communication organ of the Chinese Communist Party, explained for several days that the United States wanted to lower the tension with Russia to devote itself to their duel or their rivalry with China. But in today's editorial, the
Global Times
explains that there may be stabilization for a short time, but that if the United States does not change its attitude towards Russia and if it continues to demand that Russia conforms to post-cold war rules enacted by the west, so there will still be ups and downs.
The
Guardian
explains that Joe Biden did not say anything else, explaining that he is mainly concerned with American interests.
His Russian counterpart explaining for his part that even if there was no hostility, it is above all a pragmatic relationship.
Another subject that still concerns the international press, the Covid-19 pandemic
And especially in Asia. The
Japan Times is
concerned. And publishes a long article to explain the countries of Asia, champions of the fight against the pandemic, are still very far from the finish line. These countries, from China to New Zealand, cited as an example in their control of the spread of the virus for several months, are beginning to see America, which has seen the deaths of 600,000 people, fill the stadiums of vaccinated people. while the restrictions are still underway at home. Japan is anxiously awaiting the Olympic Games which will begin at the end of July.
China has had to close some cities because of the spread of the delta variant. Ditto in Australia where restrictions are still in place. And tolerance for these restrictions begins to wane after a year and a half, at least in democracies. To put it simply, people have had enough and they can't see the horizon emerging. What many countries in Asia and Oceania have in common is that hundreds of millions of people are still waiting to be vaccinated and campaigns are just beginning. The
Japan Times
points out, for example, that Japan is just starting to vaccinate people under 65.
In China, more than 900 million doses of local vaccines have been administered.
But in Hong Kong, the
South China Morning Post
publishes a series of articles on China's plans to reopen its borders, closed for more than a year and a half.
The country is wondering if its zero tolerance strategy will be able to continue with the same efficiency that has made the country proud.
Another Chinese pride is the space program
While the Frenchman Thomas Pesquet yesterday carried out the first extra-vehicular sortie of his mission in the International Space Station, three Chinese astronauts were sent into space by a Long March rocket to reach the Chinese space station for three months. This is the first Chinese manned flight in five years, and the
Global Times
gives all the details, with the video of the launch in the Gobi Desert and the full description of the mission.
The Guardian
explains this media coverage by the enormous prestige of the event, a few days before the hundredth anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.
The authorities therefore display great confidence according to the British newspaper, which points out that the expected life of the Chinese space station, 10 years, could well exceed that of the ISS, scheduled to last until 2024 or at best 2028.
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In the spotlight: the Biden-Poutine meeting in Geneva