Description
Added on the 13/05/2015 08:40:32 - Copyright : Reuters - Next Media
Hong Kong (CNN) As United States President-elect Joe Biden faces an ugly, potentially contested transition, foreign policy may be the last thing on his mind. But in capitals around the world, foreign leaders are already clamoring for his attention, hoping to reset relationships and restore norms that shifted under President Donald Trump. Nowhere will there be greater opportunity for a shift than in the US-China relationship, which has deteriorated to historic lows during Trump's term in office. Over the past four years, both sides have slapped the other with trade tariffs, restricted access for tech companies, journalists and diplomats, shuttered consulates, and squared off militarily in the South China Sea.
Leaders of the BRICS countries arrive for the opening plenary session of the summit. IMAGES
Xi Jinping inspects the guard of honour at Mahlamba Ndlopfu, the Presidential Palace in Pretoria. The Chinese president is in South Africa attending the BRICS summit, an association of emerging economy countries which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and this year's host, South Africa. IMAGES
Chinese coast guard ships are seen patrolling the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. A Chinese coast guard personnel aboard an inflatable boat approaches a group of Filipino fishermen collecting shells on the shallow part of the shoal. Beijing seized control of Scarborough Shoal -- known in the Philippines as Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal -- from Manila in 2012 following a tense standoff. IMAGES
US Vice-President Kamala Harris condemns China's "intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea" during her trip to the Philippines island of Palawan, aiming to counter Beijing's growing influence in the region. SOUNDBITE
U.S. President Barack Obama attends an outdoor arrival ceremony in heavy rain, as the first sitting U.S. president to visit Laos. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).