Biden’s meeting with Xi: Details emerge of what leaders will discuss in San Francisco

JOE BIDEN, XI JINPING, PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will discuss restoring communication channels between the armed forces of their countries in San Francisco on 15 November.

Source: European Pravda, citing Financial Times

Details: The two sides are seeking to resume efforts to stabilise relations amid growing tensions over issues such as China’s military activity near Taiwan and US efforts to prevent China from gaining access to the latest US technology.

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US officials say the leaders will discuss a range of issues, including the prospect of restoring military communication channels that China closed last year after then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

“The president has been determined to take the necessary steps to restore what we believe are central communications between the US and China on the military side,” one of the US officials stated.

Biden will express concern to Xi about China’s “dangerous” and “provocative” military activity around Taiwan, he said.

Officials emphasised that the summit does not mean a change in US policy towards China but is a recognition that the states need effective communication channels.

Background:

• Media reports suggested that Biden and Xi Jinping plan to hold bilateral talks in San Francisco on 15 November, when Asia-Pacific leaders will gather for their annual economic meeting.
• On 27 October, Biden met with Wang Yi, China’s Foreign Minister and Head of the Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee. Before that, China’s top diplomat also met with US State Secretary Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
• These meetings were the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the US and China in an attempt to stabilise the fragile relationship between the two countries, which has been strained by the Taiwan dispute, China’s aggressive actions at sea, the incident with the Chinese balloon shot down over US territory, and concerns about Chinese role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

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