US and China May Hold First In-Person Meeting at G20... Biden Says "Will Meet If Xi Jinping Comes"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed his willingness to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia this November.

On the 6th (local time), before the start of a cabinet meeting at the White House, President Biden was asked by reporters whether he planned to meet President Xi at the G20 summit. He responded, "If President Xi attends, I am confident that I will meet with him."

If this summit meeting takes place, it will be the first face-to-face summit between President Biden and President Xi. Since Biden took office, the two leaders have maintained contact through five video calls and other forms of communication, but have never held an in-person summit. During a phone call on July 28, the two leaders agreed to pursue a face-to-face summit and decided to coordinate specific schedules through working-level channels.

President Xi has effectively remained within China since the COVID-19 pandemic began, after visiting Myanmar in January 2020, without traveling abroad. However, there are expectations that he will resume foreign visits starting with a trip to Kazakhstan in mid-month. In this context, the possibility of a face-to-face summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been raised.

Previously, Presidents Biden and Xi confirmed differences over key issues such as Taiwan during several meetings. In a call just before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, President Xi reportedly urged President Biden to dissuade the visit, but Biden showed reluctance and effectively rejected the request.

If a face-to-face meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders is realized, discussions are expected to focus on Taiwan-related issues. Additionally, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the Uyghurs, and Hong Kong, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, are anticipated to be addressed. Economic issues such as tariffs on China, China's unfair trade practices, and supply chain concerns are also likely to be included on the agenda.

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