President Joe Biden and Chinese president Xi Jinping are expected to meet next month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the planning.
The two leaders haven’t spoken since they last met on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of 20 economies in Bali, Indonesia, in November. Since then, tensions have heightened between Washington and Beijing over the downing of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over U.S. territory and China’s stance on the war in Ukraine.
One of the sources said there was an “agreement in principle” for Biden and Xi to meet in San Francisco. The final details, including the precise day, venue and other logistics, have yet to be announced.
The two countries discussed some of the details Friday as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Secretary of State Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Biden also met with China’s top diplomat for about an hour.
