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President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are still planning on meeting in person at some point, National Security Council coordinator John Kirby told reporters Wednesday, but it remains unclear when the meeting will take place.
The White House confirmed earlier this month that Biden and Xi agreed to the in-person meeting when they last spoke in July, but following weeks of heightened tension the two super powers have yet to nail down a date.
“We’re still working on dates and locations and teams,” Kirby told reporters in answer to whether any progress on the meeting’s arrangements had been made. “That work is continuing, but no resolution yet.”
President Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping agreed to an in-person meeting during their virtual summit on Nov. 15, 2021.
(Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
BIDEN AND XI JINPING PLAN FIRST IN-PERSON MEET UP AMID ROCKY RELATIONS
Relations between Washington and Beijing have remained strained following a trip by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi earlier this month to Taiwan.
Pelosi said the trip showed solidarity for the democratic island and did not change the U.S.’s stance of the “One China” policy.
Beijing warned there would be “serious consequences” if Pelosi made the trip and has since increased its aggressive military drills off Taiwan’s coast.
But Taiwan is not expected to be the only issue on the menu in what would be the first in-person meeting between the world leaders since Biden entered the White House.
China’s crude oil imports from Russia soared over the course of a year and increased 55% by May 2022.
President Biden participates in a virtual meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House, Nov. 15, 2021.
(Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“We’ve made very clear our concerns about business as usual with Russia as particularly when it comes to energy security,” Kirby said. “We’ve been very, very clear about that publicly. And I can assure you, we’ve been clear about it privately.”
China also shut down all lines of communication on climate issues and between military officials following Pelosi’s Taiwan trip.
Beijing on Wednesday reiterated it would not agree to resume talks until the speaker dispelled the “negative influence” she left in Taipei, Reuters reported.
Kirby called China’s attitude “deeply unfortunate.”
China’s military fired missiles into the water off eastern Taiwan, Aug. 4, 2022, in response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting the island.
(China Military)
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“We believe that at the very least, those lines of communication [should] stay open to help reduce chances for miscalculation, particularly in areas where contention can run high – whether that’s the South China Sea or the Taiwan Strait,” Kirby added.
Biden and Xi are both expected to attend the G20 summit this November in Indonesia, where the two could have an opportunity meet.
