Biden-Xi Jinping First Summit Confirmed for 15th... US "Will Honestly Raise All Concerns"

No Concrete Agreement Expected
Mutual Checks and Balances Anticipated

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The United States has confirmed the schedule for the virtual summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 15th (local time). The White House stated that President Biden will candidly raise America's concerns with China.

On the 12th, the White House officially confirmed through a statement by Press Secretary Jen Psaki that the first virtual summit between the two leaders will be held on the evening of the 15th. The White House did not disclose the specific time of the meeting.

Press Secretary Psaki explained, "Following their phone call on September 9, the two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage competition between the U.S. and China, as well as ways to cooperate where our interests overlap."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

She added, "President Biden will clarify the United States' intentions and priorities and will communicate our concerns about China frankly and clearly."

During the regular press briefing held that afternoon, Psaki also emphasized, "Various topics will be discussed, and President Biden will certainly not hesitate to address areas of concern."

The U.S. and China had previously agreed that their leaders would hold a virtual summit within the year, but the specific schedule had been left open. The summit is set to take place after the G20 summit, which President Xi did not attend, the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), and the 6th Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China held this week, which effectively confirmed President Xi's third term.

The United States is expected to bring issues such as China's economy, trade, security, human rights, and the origin of COVID-19 to the summit table.

Since the two countries do not plan to issue a joint statement after the summit, it is anticipated that the meeting will be more of a mutual exploration without concrete agreements.

A senior U.S. government official also dampened expectations for specific outcomes from the summit, stating that it will "establish effective competitive conditions that position us to defend the values and interests of ourselves, our allies, and partners."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.