From positive portrayals by official channels to online banter and critical voices discussing Biden’s global policies and his health, there are various sentiments on Chinese social media surrounding US President Joe Biden ahead of the significant Xi-Biden meeting.

“It is a meeting the whole world will be watching,” one Weibo blogger wrote. On November 15, Xi Jinping and Joe Biden will meet in California on the sidelines of the APEC summit for their second face-to-face meeting since 2020. The occasion will mark Xi’s first trip to the U.S. in six years.

The topic was reported by official channels on Chinese social media using different hashtags, such as “Sino-American Heads of State Meeting” (#中美元首会晤#) and “What Major Issues Will Be Discussed During the Sino-U.S. Summit?” (#中美元首会晤将沟通哪些重大问题#).

The two leaders are expected to discuss various bilateral and global issues. Although Chinese media described the goal of the meetings in very general terms, saying Xi and Biden will talk about “strategic, global, and directional issues concerning China-U.S. relations as well as major matters related to world peace,” US officials said that topics will include the Israel-Hamas war, Taiwan, and the war in Ukraine.

While discussions of this nature, particularly on geopolitical matters, are typically closely monitored on Weibo—especially when President Xi is involved—there are still some online threads where netizens express optimism, viewing the meeting as a positive step for the stability and future of US-China relations.

A Terra Cotta warrior embraces the Statue of Liberty. Image circulating on WeChat in the days leading up to the Xi-Biden meeting.

Many of these optimistic sentiments stem from a response to an op-ed published by People’s Daily. The op-ed argues that maintaining stable relations between the US and China, fostering peaceful coexistence, is crucial for global future and world peace.

However, discussions about Biden on Chinese social media aren’t always this positive and restrained.

 
Biden Sleepy King
 

During and after the 2020 American presidential elections, there were numerous discussions on Chinese social media about ‘Trump versus Biden.’ In the eyes of many, it was a contest between the ‘King of Knowing’ (懂王) and the ‘Sleepy King’ (睡王).

These nicknames were attributed to Trump, who frequently boasted about his unparalleled understanding of various matters, and Biden, who gained notoriety for being older and tired. Viral videos, some manipulated, showed him nodding off or seemingly disoriented.

Image of ‘Sleepy King’ aka ‘Sleepy Joe Biden’ shared on Chinese Q&A platform Zhihu.com.

When Biden became president, many Chinese social media users cheered and hoped that this new experienced president, who had also faced family and personal tragedies throughout his political career, would contribute to an improvement in Sino-American relations. They expected that Biden, different from Trump, would be less confrontational and more predictable, albeit more “boring” as well.

However, as we discussed in this 2020 article, various Chinese political commentators suggested that the Biden era would not necessarily signify better relations between China and the US, and that the shift of American leadership would have no intrinsic meaning for Sino-American relations at all.

 
Revive the Country Biden
 

In recent years, Biden has come to be referred to with the Chinese nickname “Revive the Country Biden” (Bài Zhènhuá 拜振华), also translatable as ‘Thriving China Biden’. This nickname already circulated online since 2020 and matches with one that was previously given to former President Trump, namely that of “Build the Country Trump” (Chuān Jiànguó 川建国).

The idea behind these humorous monikers is that both Trump and Biden are benefitting China by doing a poor job in running the United States and dealing with China.

For instance, citing national-security concerns, both the Trump and Biden administrations have implemented policies and sanctions targeting Huawei. But despite measures to cut the Chinese tech giant off, Huawei launched its own operating system (HarmonyOS) in 2019 and earlier this year, with the launch of its Mate60Pro, introduced its own nanometer (N+2) chip, designed by Huawei’s chip division HiSilicon and manufactured by China’s largest chip vendor, SMIC.

Chinese social media users therefore joke that ‘Revive the Country Biden’ and ‘Build the Country Trump’ are actually the best Huawei brand ambassadors by pushing the Chinese tech brand to the next level.

An AI-generated image shows ‘Revive the Country Biden’ and ‘Build the Country Trump’ as Huawei brand ambassadors.

Biden the Huawei brand ambassador, via Douyin.

When Donald Trump recently mocked how President Biden often seems to be disoriented on stage, the video was picked up by a few popular Chinese bloggers and set off dozens of jokes about the absurdity of the situation.

After President Biden was filmed as he seemed unsure what to do during the November 11 wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington Cemetery, footage also went trending on Chinese socials. Some people called him a “robot” who needed new batteries.

Earlier this year, Biden also went viral in China when, while delivering a speech to the Canadian parliament, he accidentally said he “applauded China for stepping up.” He quickly corrected himself and clarified he meant to say ‘Canada’ instead of ‘China,’ but Chinese web users joked that it was a Freudian slip and he actually said what he meant.

But besides Biden’s restrictive measures and sanctions on China and a string of bizarre, confused statements and behaviors, there are more reasons why Chinese netizens have been calling him ‘Bai Zhenhua‘, ‘Revive the Country Biden.’ After all, in contrast to how Trump consistently framed China as a threat and competitor, Biden has often downplayed the threat China poses to the US (“They’re not bad folks, folks,” he said in 2019, “they’re not competition for us”).

Chinese memes about ‘Bai Zhenhua’, ‘Revive the Country Biden.’

Joking about his words, some netizens even called him ‘Comrade Bai Zhenhua.’

 
The Different Faces of Biden
 

Jokes aside, there are also more serious and negative discussions about the role played by Biden, especially in this time of global unrest and Israel-Hamas war.

Headlines such as Biden personally saying there is “no possibility” of a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip or Biden ordering new airstrikes in Syria to retaliate for attacks on U.S. bases, reported by Chinese media, attract a lot of views on Weibo and Douyin.

Although there are also discussions about the supposed limited power Biden actually has, with some calling him one of America’s weakest presidents, he is still seen as the face of the White House, the representation of Washington.

Cartoon depicting Biden as evil, by @插画杨权, 2020.

At a time when anti-American sentiments are on the rise, some netizens view Biden as embodying the negative stereotypes prevalent on social media about the United States or the Western world in general.

Photoshopped image of Biden posted on Weibo (@扎西德勒·天珠收藏 ) in light of Biden ordering new airstrikes on Syria.

Within this context, at a time when the majority of Chinese social media users express pro-Palestinian sentiments, Biden is blamed for contributing to or even causing global suffering. Some netizens label him as the “devil” or associate him with a supposed larger geopolitical evil circle (“The wicked United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Israel… they’re enemies of humanity,” one Douyin user writes).

But not all are so harsh, and some think Biden’s old state and mental state are also to blame for his political decisions. As one Weibo user writes: “After all, Biden is quite old, his health is not particularly good. With so many responsibilities, it’s inevitable that there are things he cannot fully grasp, hear clearly, or contemplate deeply anymore.”

Meanwhile, it is evident that in the days leading up the Xi-Biden meeting Chinese official channels are promoting more positive portrayals of U.S. leadership on social media, with online discussions being tightly controlled. Some media outlets refer to the meeting as ‘a new chapter’ for Sino-American friendship. A day prior to top-level meeting, Xinhua News shared an image with text endorsing and applauding Sino-American exchanges:

“History has already proven that the people of China and the US can fully overcome their differences in systems, culture, and language to establish a profound friendship. The exchanges between the people of China and America are mutually beneficial. Not only are they [these win-win exchanges] the result of independent choices made by the people of both countries, they’re also an unstoppable historical trend.” (“历史已经充分证明，中美两国人民完全可以跨越制度、文化、语言的差异，建立起深厚的友谊。中美民间交流互利共赢，不仅是两国人民做出的自主选择，更是不可阻挡的历史潮流。”)

The comments below the post were censored, and most other comment sections on posts reporting the significant US-China meeting were also empty. One Weibo user commented: “The anti-American netizens don’t know if it’s okay to criticize them now anymore.”

But it seems that directives from higher up have made it clear. For today, perhaps tomorrow, and who knows about the day after, Biden is not the evil, not the Sleepy King nor Bai Zhenhua; he is now a good friend of China.

By Manya Koetse

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