Washington, Beijing working to arrange meeting between Biden, Xi Jinping in November

October 28, 2023 09:03

The US and China are working to arrange a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in San Francisco in November, a senior US administration official said, Report informs referring to TASS.

The official made the statement in an online news conference following a visit to Washington by China’s Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

When asked whether the presidents could meet during the APEC event, the official said that Washington and Beijing "work together towards a meeting between the two leaders."

"We are making preparations for just such a meeting. And I think the language we've tried to use here is meant to indicate that we're working toward that goal. Obviously, Chinese leaders often confirm publicly much closer to a trip, so I will leave it to the Chinese side to figure out if and when they make that announcement. I would just say on our side, at least, we are working together toward that goal and making preparations on our side," the official said.

When asked what outcome could be expected from the meeting, if it happens, the official said that, "We're in a different point in the relationship than we were 5-10 years ago, when meetings would result in a long list of deliverables. I think we're really focused on the importance of diplomacy, on the importance of managing risk, continuing communication. So I think a big part of a potential meeting would be the two leaders sitting down together and having those important conversations on strategic intent."

The White House said earlier that US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Wang Yi in talks on Friday reiterated the importance of maintaining a bilateral channel of communication and working together toward a meeting between Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco in November.

White House Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday that Biden will travel to San Francisco for the APEC summit that will be held November 15-18. According to the spokeswoman, the American leader will talk about the state of the US economy, underscore the ties between the US and APEC countries, and reaffirm readiness for cooperation.