President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday prior to the Group of 20, or G20, summit in Bali, Indonesia, the White House announced Thursday.
It will be the pair’s first in-person consultation since Biden took office, CNN reports. They’ve otherwise spoken virtually five times over the past two years.
Per a statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the two leaders will discuss “efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the PRC, responsibly manage competition, and work together where our interests align, especially on transnational challenges that affect the international community.” They will also likely discuss “trade, human rights, and North Korea,” per The New York Times.
The president “will get to sit in the same room with Xi Jinping, be direct and straightforward with him as he always is, and expect the same in return from Xi,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday. Biden will also make no “fundamental concessions” regarding U.S. support for Taiwan, a senior administration official told the Times. China believes Taiwan is part of its territory.
Officials are under no illusions the meeting will magically ease tensions between China and the U.S., but they are hopeful Biden can “build the floor” for a working relationship that might even allow for cooperation from time to time, CNN reports.
“I don’t in any way think that the two leaders are going to sit down and be able to solve all their differences or problems,” one administration official told CNN. “But I do think that we believe that some of these steps could be important along the way.”
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