Biden meets China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, paving way for potential meeting with Xi Jinping

United States President Joe Biden met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the White House on Friday (Oct 27) in a bid to possibly prepare for a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping as Washington and Beijing are in the midst of working to ease tensions between the two countries.

According to a statement by the White House, Wang and Biden held an hour of talks which Washington characterised as a “good opportunity” in keeping lines of communication open between Washington and Beijing.

What did they discuss?

China’s top diplomat is in the midst of conducting a second day of meetings with his American counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken to manage differences while laying groundwork ahead of an expected meeting between Biden and Xi in November.

In a brief statement, the White House said that the US president also underscored that both countries “must work together to address global challenges.”

Additionally, Biden also told Wang that the US and China must “manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the hour-long meeting held in White House’s Roosevelt Room was a “positive development and a good opportunity to keep the conversation going.”

Kirby also said the Israel-Hamas war “certainly was on the agenda” for discussion during Wang’s three-day visit as well as global topics like climate change.

China’s top diplomat during his high-stakes visit to Washington also met with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

Will Xi and Biden meet in November?

The US president is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart after Biden invited Xi to San Francisco next month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. However, China has yet to announce whether Xi will attend. There is also no official confirmation if both leaders would hold a meeting on the sidelines of the summit.

“The president has said that he fully expects to meet again with President Xi. These are two guys that have a long-standing relationship and we’re confident that that’s going to happen,” said Kirby.

China’s top diplomat is on a high-stakes visit to Washington amid persistent diplomatic and security tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

“China and the United States need to have dialogue. Not only should we resume dialogue, the dialogue should be in-depth and comprehensive,” Wang told Blinken after arriving in Washington on Thursday (Oct 26).

(With inputs from agencies)

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