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| 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.
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