The White House has officially confirmed that the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, are scheduled to meet on Wednesday in California. This marks the first meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies in a year. The discussions during the meeting will encompass topics such as trade, Taiwan, and the management of their strained relations.
According to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi Jinping intends to embark on a visit to the United States starting from Tuesday and extending through November 17. During this visit, he is slated to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. Additionally, he is scheduled to have a meeting with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the summit.
Officials from the Biden administration, speaking on the condition of anonymity, informed reporters that the two presidents are set to meet in the San Francisco Bay Area. Anticipated during the summit, starting on Saturday, is the arrival of thousands of protesters in San Francisco.
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed that the leaders would engage in discussions regarding the ongoing significance of upholding open lines of communication. The focus of their talks would be on responsibly navigating competition and collaborating where mutual interests converge, especially in addressing transnational challenges that impact the global community.
The anticipated outcome of the meeting suggests that there will be few, if any, significant announcements.
A U.S. official assured reporters that there would be complete transparency, emphasizing that there would be no withheld information, and all matters would be open for discussion.
According to Oriana Mastro, a fellow at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute, she expressed to the Times that a conversation between Xi and Biden is unlikely to result in any significant breakthroughs. She added that there would be nothing to cause a shift in the direction of the relationship.
