US President Joe Biden would meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on November 14 on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Indonesia throughout which they may focus on methods to work collectively the place their pursuits align, particularly on transnational challenges that have an effect on the worldwide group, the White House introduced on Thursday.
The assembly comes amid the fractious relationship between the 2 nations.
“The Leaders will discuss efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the PRC (People’s Republic of China), responsibly manage competition, and work together where our interests align, especially on transnational challenges that affect the international community,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated.
“The two Leaders will also discuss a range of regional and global issues,” Pierre stated.
This could be their first in-person assembly after Biden turned the US President in January 2021. The two leaders have spoken over the telephone as many as 5 occasions.
Xi’s final face-to-face assembly with a US chief got here in June 2019, when he reached a truce with former president Donald Trump that led to a commerce deal six months later. The bilateral ties fell right into a downward spiral as Covid-19 unfold across the globe.
Biden and Xi mentioned a doable face-to-face assembly throughout a two-hour name in late July.
Since then, tensions escalated over a go to by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. The White House referred to as China’s army workouts that adopted an “unprecedented pressure campaign” for the self-governed island that China claims as its personal.
China slapped sanctions in opposition to Pelosi and launched live-fire army drills across the island. But Beijing additionally blamed Biden for not intervening.
Xi minimize off talks with the administration on a variety of necessary points, together with counternarcotics and local weather.
Biden has additionally raised Beijing’s ire by suggesting repeatedly that the US will defend Taiwan if attacked by China.
The White House has repeatedly stated the remarks don’t symbolize a change in US coverage, however China has not been happy.
The Biden administration additionally imposed sweeping curbs on the sale of superior chips to China, a transfer designed to keep up the US’s technological edge over Beijing.
“Throughout his presidency, President Biden has made it a priority to keep lines of communication open with the PRC at all levels to responsibly manage the competition between our two countries,” a senior administration official instructed reporters throughout a convention name.
The assembly will probably be part of the continuing effort to construct and handle relationships with China. Biden believes there isn’t any substitute for face-to-face diplomacy to hold these discussions ahead, stated the official.
Biden, the official identified, has recognized Xi for fairly a while.
“When he (Biden) was vice president, he traveled to China and then Vice President Xi also travelled to the United States. So, we expect these meetings to be an in-depth and substantive conversation between the leaders and have a better understanding of one another’s priorities and intentions,” the official stated.
According to the official, they count on the assembly to cowl a variety of areas.
“First, I expect the leaders will discuss their respective views on the relationship and President Biden will lay out ideas on how best to manage the competition responsibly,” the official stated.
“Second, I expect the President will be honest about a number of our concerns, including PRC activity that threatens peace and stability across the Taiwan stream, as well as our long-standing concerns about human rights violations and more broadly, the concerns we and our allies and partners have about China’s harmful economic practices,” stated the official.
“Third, the President will focus on areas the place the 2 nations can and may work collectively and suggest some methods to advance these efforts. Fourth, I count on them to debate a variety of regional and world points to incorporate Russia’s conflict in Ukraine and up to date DPRK provocations.
“The president, of course, has entered this meeting after nearly two years of rebuilding and revitalising our alliances and partnerships to historic level and making unprecedented investments in our economy and national competitiveness,” stated the official.
Biden has centered his overseas coverage on countering the financial and nationwide safety threats posed by China. He instructed reporters at a press convention that he is not going to make any concessions with Beijing, however desires to search out out what Xi’s “red lines” are within the relationship.
Biden on Wednesday stated he’s on the lookout for competitors and never battle with China.
Biden instructed reporters right here on Wednesday, the 2 leaders are anticipated to speak to one another about their nationwide pursuits and the “red line”.
“I’ve met with him many times. And I’ve told him I’m looking for competition, not conflict. So, what I want to do with him when we talk is lay out what kind of each of our red lines are, understand what he believes to be in the critical national interests of China, what I know to be the critical interests of the United States and to determine whether or not they conflict with one another,” he stated in response to a query.
“And if they do, how do we resolve it and how to work it out. The Taiwan doctrine has not changed at all from the very beginning, the very beginning. So, I’m sure we’ll discuss a number of other issues, including fair trade and relationships relating to his relationship with other countries in the region,” the US President stated.
In response to a different query, Biden stated he doesn’t suppose there may be plenty of respect that China has for Russia or for its President Vladimir Putin.
“I don’t think they look at that as a particular alliance. Matter of fact, they’ve been sort of keeping their distance a little bit. I do think that it remains to be seen whether Xi Jinping has decided that, or backed off of his initial judgment, that he wanted China to have the most powerful military in the world as well as the largest economy,” he stated.
“But he’s a long way from both. I think talk about nuclear weapons and location, a number of them, and access is important to discuss,” Biden stated.
