President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of China plan to meet in California on Wednesday for a discussion that Biden’s advisers say is meant to stabilise relations even as it features a host of topics on which the two fiercely competitive countries disagree.
The Biden administration, which formally announced the meeting on Friday morning, said the two leaders would have the highly choreographed discussion as they attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, known as Apec.
In a call with reporters on Thursday, two senior advisers to Biden said the meeting was intended to be wide-ranging, with Biden prepared to bring up issues including Taiwan, election interference, the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas.
Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China, is set to hold elections early next year, and officials said Biden would seek to “present” Xi with “clarity” — meaning that the US expects Beijing not to interfere and is concerned that it might. Biden is also expected to warn Xi against interfering in US elections. The advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the meeting, did not provide specifics on its location, citing security.
New York Times News Service
