The United States and China reached an agreement on Friday to work towards arranging a meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping next month. This development followed Biden’s meeting with Beijing’s top diplomat at the White House.
Biden has extended an invitation to Xi Jinping to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco in November. However, Xi has not yet confirmed his attendance.
After holding talks with Biden and other senior US officials in Washington, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the White House stated that both countries had agreed to continue engaging in “high-level diplomacy” to improve relations.
The White House said in a statement that the two sides had “reaffirmed” their commitment to organizing a meeting between President Biden and President Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.
While the White House is awaiting confirmation from Beijing regarding Xi’s participation, preparations are already underway for the meeting.
In Beijing’s official release about Wang’s discussions with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, it confirmed that “both sides agreed to make joint efforts to bring about a meeting between the two heads of state.”
During his meeting with Biden, Wang stated that his visit aimed to “halt the deterioration of China-US relations, stabilize them, and steer them towards sound and steady development.”
The White House reported that Biden emphasized the need for responsible management of competition between Washington and Beijing, along with maintaining open lines of communication.
In addition, with the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Biden underscored the importance of US-China collaboration in addressing global challenges.
US officials expressed deep concern about the situation in the Middle East and urged China to adopt a more constructive approach, including engaging with its allies in the region.
Wang’s visit to Washington spanned two days and included meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, marking another high-level engagement between the United States and China.
The meeting between Wang and Biden had been expected since Blinken’s meeting with Xi in Beijing earlier in June, although it had not been confirmed prior to this.
– Taiwan ‘threat’ –
Following his meeting with Blinken, Wang acknowledged that differences would inevitably arise but assured that China would respond calmly.
Biden and Xi have not had any contact since their meeting in Bali in November 2022.
Tensions between the world’s top two economies have persisted for years as they compete for influence in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Beijing’s growing partnership with Russia also aims to challenge US dominance.
A major point of contention has been Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.
“The greatest threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is ‘Taiwan independence,’ and the biggest challenge to China-US relations is also ‘Taiwan independence,’ which must be firmly opposed,” Wang stated in the readout of his meeting with Sullivan.
In his meeting with Biden, he also emphasized the significance of the “One-China principle” in US-China relations, according to the foreign ministry’s account.
The United States and China have exchanged verbal attacks over the Middle East conflict, with Biden staunchly backing Israel.
US officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of establishing “guardrails” with China to prevent worst-case scenarios and have unsuccessfully attempted to restore communication between their militaries.
Last Wednesday, Biden cautioned China about US treaty obligations to the Philippines, which accused Chinese vessels of deliberately colliding with its boats in disputed waters – a claim disputed by Beijing.
Speaking alongside Australia’s Prime Minister, a key ally in the Asia-Pacific, Biden pledged to compete with China within the framework of international rules in economic, political, and other domains. However, he stated that he is not seeking conflict.
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