9-11-2023 (WASHINGTON) US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are anticipated to convene on November 15 in San Francisco. This upcoming summit marks the first meeting between the rival superpowers in a year, as per informed sources on Wednesday.
Although the official date has not been formally announced, preparations have been made to host the summit on the sidelines of the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which the United States is set to host. The revelation comes from a US official and a diplomat based in Washington, both speaking on the condition of anonymity.
While the Xi-Biden summit has not been publicly confirmed by the two governments, they have indicated their expectations for the meeting. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre expressed Washington’s hope for a “constructive conversation in San Francisco” between the two leaders on October 31.
This summit will mark the first face-to-face meeting between Biden and Xi since their extensive discussions in November 2022 during the Group of 20 summit in Bali. Following those talks, both leaders conveyed their commitment to finding ways to prevent conflicts.
Despite the positive tone from those previous discussions, tensions have resurfaced periodically. Earlier this year, the United States protested the presence of a Chinese surveillance balloon over US territory. Conversely, China has expressed anger at the increasing pressure from the US, including restrictions on high-tech chips, which the US believes could be employed for military purposes.
One of the primary sources of tension remains Taiwan, a self-governing democracy that China claims as its own and has not ruled out acquiring through force. In response to pro-Taiwan actions by US Congressional leaders, China has conducted significant military exercises, escalating the ongoing tension between the two nations.
