President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Monday in a virtual summit that will put to the test the U.S. president’s philosophy that the two global superpowers — at odds over a slew of issues including Taiwan, trade and human rights — can compete without spiraling into military conflict.
Wp Get the full experience.Choose your plan ArrowRight
Among the issues Biden plans to raise with Xi include Beijing’s recent “coercive and provocative behavior” toward Taiwan, human rights practices and technology and cyberspace issues, according to a senior administration official. The two leaders will also discuss climate and health security.
Although U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods remain a point of tension between the two countries, the issue of tariffs isn’t expected to be on the agenda, said the senior administration official, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity to preview the meeting.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
Senior administration officials have repeatedly played down expectations for the highly anticipated summit, saying there will be no specific outcomes or a joint statement from the two leaders after the meeting concludes.
“This is about setting the terms, in our view, of an effective competition where we’re in a position to defend our values — which certainly will be part of the president’s conversation — and those of our allies and partners, and also discuss areas where we can work together,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.
Other top administration officials have held multiple conversations with Chinese counterparts to prepare for the summit. On Saturday, for instance, Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Wang Yi, the Chinese foreign minister, on rising tensions over Taiwan, expressing in a call concerns about Beijing’s “continued military, diplomatic and economic pressure” against the self-governing island.
Advertisement
Story continues below advertisement
Yet the United States and China have found common cause in climate, with the two countries — which lead the globe in emitting greenhouse gases — pledging last week at the U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, to work together on slowing global warming.
The Chinese president recently tightened his grip on power in Beijing with a new resolution allowing him to stay in his role until at least 2027 — a development U.S. officials said makes the direct discussion between Biden and Xi on Monday all the more critical.
The meeting is scheduled to begin Monday at 7:45 p.m. Eastern time, and the senior administration official said it is expected to last “several hours.” The two will communicate via interpreters.
Monday’s virtual meeting between the two leaders is the third direct conversation since Biden took office in January; the last two discussions were over the phone. Xi has not left China since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.