The White House confirmed that United States President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to meet in the coming weeks, specifically during an Economic Summit in San Francisco next month.
The meeting will mark a significant diplomatic moment between the two global superpowers amid rising tensions over a slew of issues. It would also come following a flurry of diplomatic visits in recent months that sought to break the ice in the U.S.-China relationship.
Potential Biden-Xi Meeting
The planned trip also comes on the heels of a promising week in I.S.-China relations after California Gov. Gavin Newsom was well received during a visit that focused on climate cooperation. This was followed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi Making diplomatic rounds in Washington.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the Democratic leader's meeting with his Chinese counterpart during a Tuesday press briefing. However, she seemed to have accidentally revealed the planned meeting. A White House readout from Friday said that the two nations were working toward such a meeting, as per Politico.
Jean-Pierre said that the meeting would be an important diplomatic conversation between the two leaders. She also described the "intense" competition between the U.S. and China. The White House press secretary said that the planned meeting is expected to be constructive and that Biden was looking forward to it.
She did not provide further details regarding the planned meeting and what the two global leaders would discuss. However, the planned diplomatic talks would most likely occur on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting that is scheduled for Nov. 12 to Nov. 18.
A meeting between Biden and Xi could become awkward due to the former labeling the latter as a dictator over the summer. The two countries' relations took a nosedive earlier this year after the incident with a Chinese spy balloon that flew across the continental U.S. in February. It was subsequently shot down by an American military plane off the Atlantic Coast.
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Addressing Strained Relations
The planned meeting also comes as the White House is working to rush security assistance and humanitarian aid to Israel amid an intensifying conflict with the Hamas militant group. The U.S. is also continuing to support Ukraine in its war against Russia, according to CNBC.
The various issues have placed additional strain on the U.S.-China relationship which has taken a hit in recent years following a trade war that started during the Trump administration. The Biden administration had previously warned Beijing to avoid providing assistance to Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. This comes as China is Russia's most powerful financial ally.
The last meeting between Biden and Xi was last November in Bali on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit. Earlier this month, the Democratic leader said that a meeting with his Chinese counterpart was possible but noted that it was not yet fleshed out.
Biden had previously expressed his disappointment in Xi for not attending the Group of 20 summit that was held last month in New Delhi. At the time, the U.S. president said that was looking forward to meeting with the Chinese president, said The Hill.
