Biden will meet China’s Xi next month: White House confirms talks just two days after Beijing’s top army general warned he would show ‘no mercy’ to any nation backing Taiwan
- It will be a “difficult but important conversation,” the White House said
- Sec. of State Blinken canceled the visit to Beijing due to a spy balloon incident
- It comes amid tensions over espionage, trade, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East
President Joe Biden will hold a long-delayed meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month at the upcoming summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in San Francisco, the White House confirmed Tuesday.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting after saying Biden was preparing for a “tough conversation but important conversation” with his counterpart.
‘We’ve talked about it. The president said he is looking forward to meeting President Xi and will therefore not go into details about the meeting that will take place next month. It will be in San Francisco, it will be a constructive meeting, the president is looking forward to it,” she said during her White House briefing.
President Joe Biden plans a ‘tough conversation’ with Chinese President Xi Jinping
The talks come at a tense moment in global affairs, with China hoping to play a major role in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, even amid anti-Semitic messages on state media and online maps in China that do not mention Israel as a country.
Xi has also maintained close ties with Russia both before and after the invasion of Ukraine, in a conflict that has raised fears over his own territorial claims or even plans for an invasion of Taiwan.
Speaking at a Xiangshan forum in Beijing, a Chinese military official said China would “never agree” to a separate Taiwan.
General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. He stated that China’s People’s Liberation Army would “show no mercy” if Taiwan moves toward independence.
“No matter who wants to separate Taiwan from China in any way, the Chinese military will never agree to it,” he said.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that the meeting will take place at the APEC Summit in San Francisco
Zhang Youxia, China’s No. 2 military official and vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, said Monday that China’s People’s Liberation Army would “show no mercy” if Taiwan moves toward independence.
Youxia met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (l) at the forum, amid Russia’s war against Ukraine
Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden is considering lifting U.S. tariffs on China imposed during the Trump administration. These tariffs have angered China and are part of a troubled relationship.
She declined to comment directly, but said there would be “intense diplomacy” to deal with the “intense competition.”
“This will be an important diplomatic conversation,” she said of the meeting during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
“What I’m saying is that we’re aiming, we’re aiming for a constructive discussion meeting between the leaders in San Francisco in November, so that’s what I’m saying,” Jean-Pierre said. “I think I just confirmed it.”
The planned meeting comes after a series of diplomatic moves involving Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and other officials.