Biden and Chinese President Xi to meet on 14 November, White House says

The meeting between the two leaders will be their first in-person interaction since Mr Biden took office, as well as the first since Mr Xi was confirmed to serve a third term as China’s leader

President Joe Biden will conduct his first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart since taking office ahead of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, the White House has said.

In a statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the 14 November bilateral meeting would consist of discussions regarding “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”.

She added that Mr Biden and Mr Xi would “discuss a range of regional and global issues” as well.

The meeting between the two leaders follows several “virtual” bilateral discussions held over Mr Biden’s first two years in office while Mr Xi remained in China as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Xi’s visit to Indonesia will be just his second trip beyond his country’s borders since 2020.

A senior Biden administration official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said Mr Biden “has made it a priority to keep lines of communication open” with China “at all levels” as a way to “responsibly manage the competition between our two countries”.

The official said Mr Biden believes it is “critical” to ensure that the US and China continue to work together “on areas where our interests align” and in particular with “transnational challenges that affect the international community”.

“This meeting will be a part of this ongoing effort, and the president believes there’s no substitute for face-to-face diplomacy to carry these discussions forward,” the official said.

The discussion between Mr Biden and Mr Xi comes at a period of extremely heightened tension between the US and China over Mr Biden’s efforts to boost US semiconductor manufacturing capacity, as well as over US support for Taiwan.

Although Mr Biden’s administration has stressed its commitment to the longstanding “one China” policy recognising Beijing as “the sole legal government of China,” the president has also repeatedly stated that US support for Taiwan extends to defending the island against an invasion from the Chinese mainland.

Sino-US relations were also disrupted further after Beijing withdrew from bilateral talks on military matters and efforts to fight climate change in retaliation for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei over the summer.

The Biden administration official called those actions “inappropriate” and “an overreaction,” and said they expect Mr Biden to be “honest” about ”a number of concerns” which include Chinese activities that “threaten peace and stability across the Taiwan strait” as well as “longstanding” disputes over China’s human rights record and concerns shared by the US and numerous allies regarding Beijing’s economic practices.