WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Washington on Friday amid speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month, reported German news agency (dpa).
Biden underscored in his conversation with Wang that the United States and China must “manage competition in the relationship responsibly” and also “work together to address global challenges”, the White House said.
Relations between China and the US have taken a downturn in recent years.
Trade disputes, the status of Taiwan, rows over the origin and handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and China’s partial backing for Russia in the war in Ukraine are all factors.
There has, however, been a flurry of diplomatic activity between Washington and Beijing in recent months.
Wang met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier in Washington on Friday, while Blinken met Xi in Beijing in June. Blinken was the most senior US official to visit China since the beginning of Biden’s term in January 2021.
Xi and Biden last met in person on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia about a year ago. Biden stressed in Friday’s talks with Wang that China and the US must maintain open lines of communication.
Xi may travel to the Asia-Pacific Summit in San Francisco in mid-November, which would facilitate a face-to-face meeting with Biden. - Bernama