President Biden will deliver remarks and take questions from reporters following his first face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia. This meeting marked the first time the two world leaders have met face-to-face since Mr. Biden took office.
The bilateral meeting between the presidents of the world’s two largest economies began shortly before 5:00 a.m. EDT with a handshake and a commitment from Mr. Biden to “keep the lines of communication open” not only with Xi, but also between the two governments.
At the beginning of the meeting, he stated, “As leaders of our two nations, we share a responsibility to demonstrate that China and the United States can manage their differences, prevent competition from escalating into conflict, and find ways to collaborate on urgent global issues that require our mutual cooperation.”
The White House stated in a summary of the three-hour meeting issued at its conclusion that Mr. Biden and Mr. Xi “talked openly about their different objectives and intents on a variety of subjects.”
The White House stated, in reference to the People’s Republic of China, that “President Biden underscored that the United States will continue to compete strongly with the PRC, particularly by investing in domestic sources of strength and aligning efforts with allies and partners around the globe.” He emphasized that the United States and China must manage the competition appropriately and keep open lines of communication.
China’s economic practices were also examined, according to the White House.
Mr. Biden addressed particular concerns over human rights violations, including China’s practices in Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong, and reaffirmed that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan is unaltered.
The White House stated, “He voiced U.S. opposition to the PRC’s coercive and more hostile activities against Taiwan, which undermine peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the broader region and threaten global prosperity.”
According to the White House, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to China to follow up on the discussions between the leaders.
Although the president and his Chinese counterpart have met and spoken numerous times over their careers, their encounter in Bali will be the first since Mr. Biden assumed office in January 2021. However, they have communicated via phone or video call five times during his reign. In 2019, Xi met with former U.S. President Donald Trump for the last time.
Mr. Biden’s face-to-face conversations with Xi follow midterm elections in which the Democratic Party performed better than predicted. If Sen. Raphael Walker defeats his Republican opponent Herschel Walker in Georgia’s runoff election next month, the Democrats could gain a seat. Republicans are in a position to gain a majority of seats in the House, but it will likely be by a tight margin.
Anita Dunn, Mr. Biden’s senior assistant, stated in a Sunday interview on “Face the Nation” that Senate power is “very crucial” for the president’s agenda.