White House "Continuing Efforts to Hold US-China Summit... Not Yet Confirmed"

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the U.S. White House National Security Council (NSC)
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The White House stated that discussions are ongoing for a face-to-face summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council (NSC), said during a phone briefing on the 31st (local time) regarding the discussions on holding a U.S.-China summit, "Active efforts to finalize the date and location are continuing, but no conclusion has been reached yet."

Earlier, President Biden and President Xi had a phone call on the 28th of last month, before Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan, and agreed to proceed with working-level discussions for a face-to-face summit. However, following Speaker Pelosi's visit, tensions between the U.S. and China surrounding the Taiwan Strait have intensified.

Coordinator Kirby, when asked whether communication channels between the U.S. and China have been maintained after Speaker Pelosi's visit, said, "There are communication channels such as those involving high-level officials or ambassadors," adding, "These channels can at least help reduce the possibility of miscalculations in areas of heightened tension like the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait."

He continued, "Bilateral means to discuss issues such as climate change or drug problems remain closed due to China's shutdown measures," adding, "Since these issues have global impacts, dialogue needs to be resumed."

Regarding the recent entry of Chinese drones into Taiwan's maritime control zone, he said, "This is an attempt by China to permanently change the status quo around Taiwan," and added, "China is using Speaker Pelosi's visit as a pretext, but changes to the status quo are unacceptable."

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