Biden, Xi will meet in San Francisco Wednesday at APEC to debate U.S.-China relations, Taiwan
President Biden will maintain talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping within the San Francisco Bay Area subsequent week throughout the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation assembly, the White House introduced Friday.
The two leaders on Wednesday will talk about the strategic course of U.S.-China relations. Mr. Biden will search to open extra traces of communication, together with a renewed military-to-military relationship that Beijing shut off a yr in the past, senior administration officers advised reporters in a pre-summit briefing.
Among the subjects to be mentioned by the U.S. facet are the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas battle, the officers mentioned, talking on situation of anonymity.
Increased rigidity over Taiwan additionally is anticipated to be a subject of what officers mentioned is a spread of contentious points, together with anticipated Chinese authorities interference in January’s presidential election.
“It’s something we’re extremely concerned about and, of course, we’ll plan on delivering that message again,” one official mentioned of the election interference.
“We’re also quite concerned by a ramping up of military activities around Taiwan in ways that are unprecedented, that are dangerous, that are provocative,” the official mentioned.
China views Taiwan as its territory, and Mr. Xi has ordered his army to be prepared to make use of power within the coming years to retake the island.
Chinese army actions have ramped up round Taiwan prior to now a number of months, together with large-scale conflict video games which have included missile firings close to the island.
This week, China sailed an plane provider strike group led by the Shandong down the Taiwan Strait.
The passage got here every week after U.S. and Canadian warships transited the 100-mile-wide strait.
On army relations, the officers mentioned restoring communications with China is a serious purpose of the summit.
“We’ve raised the importance of mil-mil channels in nearly every conversation we’ve had with the Chinese because it is absolutely critical,” the second official mentioned.
“And when we’re talking about managing risks about avoiding conflict, this is exactly the sort of communication we need to be having, both at senior levels of our military, but also operator to operator,” the official mentioned.
Mr. Biden will elevate a variety of points along with Ukraine and the Middle East.
“I think with respect to the Middle East, the president will underscore our desire for China to make clear in its burgeoning relationship with Iran, that is essential that Iran not seek to escalate or spread violence in the Middle East and to warn quite clearly that if Iran undertakes provocative actions anywhere that the United States is prepared to respond and respond promptly,” the primary official mentioned.
Chinese human rights abuses and North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, together with Pyongyang’s provide of army items to Russia, additionally shall be raised, the officers mentioned.
Chinese bullying of the Philippines within the South China Sea, the place Chinese coast guard vessels have harassed Philippine resupply ships, additionally shall be mentioned.
The officers sought to minimize any main breakthrough in U.S.-China relations.
“The goals here are really about managing the competition, preventing the downside risk of conflict and ensuring channels of communication are open,” one of many officers mentioned.
The actual location of the assembly, the primary face-to-face session for the reason that final talks in Bali, Indonesia, a yr in the past, was not disclosed over safety considerations, the officers mentioned.
The APEC summit shall be held at a conference heart in downtown San Francisco, a metropolis plagued with open-air drug markets and poor sanitation on account of large-scale homeless encampments.
Human rights protesters and different activists are anticipated to prove for the Chinese chief’s go to.
