US and China: Biden and Xi Expected to Meet Next Month

Image Source: Al-Jazeera

The promise of a meeting between the two leaders followed Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Washington.

US President Joe Biden is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next month after China's top diplomat visited the White House on Friday.

The two leaders are likely to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco in November, an event that brings together world and business leaders.

Although the White House would not confirm the Biden-Xi meeting, a readout of Friday's meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan said the two sides "worked to meet together." are doing".

Xi and Biden have not met since attending the G20 summit in Bali last year.

Wang and Sullivan's talks were part of a three-day visit to Washington, D.C., during which the secretary of state met with Biden as well as top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Anthony Blanken.

The two sides had plenty to discuss, including the Israel-Hamas war, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the presidential election in Taiwan early next year.

China has said it is neutral in the Ukraine war but has been accused of supporting Russia's economy despite Western sanctions.

In the Middle East, meanwhile, observers hope it can play a more conciliatory role because of its strong ties with Israel and Arab states.

The US is arming both Israel and Ukraine, but has historically tried to broker a peace deal between Palestine and Israel.

The two countries now find themselves in a position to potentially work together to help de-escalate the situation in Gaza, where Israel has threatened a ground attack.

The point was raised during the meeting between Biden and Wang, where the president "stressed that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges," according to a White House statement.

The two superpowers also discussed how to improve their often acrimonious relationship, with Wang saying Beijing wanted to "stabilize US-China relations" to "reduce misunderstandings".

US officials have also said in the past that both sides need "firsts" to ensure the disagreement does not escalate into a military clash.

The U.S. has accused Beijing's air force of engaging in dangerous and aggressive maneuvers while flying over the South China Sea, such as the near-miss between a U.S. B-52 bomber and a Chinese J-11 jet earlier this week. I was seen.

During his meeting with Wang Yi, Biden said China should tone down similar behavior toward the Philippines, a U.S. treaty ally whose fishing fleet and coast guard vessels are directed toward China. are regularly harassed in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.

As Washington and Beijing potentially work together in the Middle East, they are at odds over Taiwan, an independent democracy claimed by China's Communist Party as part of its territory.

The island of 23 million people will hold elections in early January, an event that usually draws an angry reaction from Beijing.

Beijing has historically tried to influence the outcome through a range of tactics, from online disinformation campaigns to holding military exercises in the Taiwan Strait, a stark reminder that it occupies the island by force. The attempt has not been rejected.

Beijing also held two rounds of drills in the past 14 months, following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan in August 2022 and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen's unofficial visit to the United States in April.

A military conflict between China and Taiwan could arise in the United States, which has pledged to help the democracy defend itself, although it has stopped short of promising boots on the ground.

(Courtesy: Al-Jazeera)