Saul Loeb archives Agence France-Presse The American president, Joe Biden (right), and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping (left), have not met since the G20 summit in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.
American President Joe Biden on Friday mentioned as “a possibility” a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit, scheduled for mid-November. in San Francisco.
“Such a meeting has not been organized, but it is a possibility,” Joe Biden said at a press conference at the White House, after US media reports that the two leaders had planned to meet. meet to ease tensions between Beijing and Washington.
Beijing did not specify whether the Chinese president would participate in this summit.
In recent months, Beijing and Washington have renewed dialogue with a succession of visits by senior American officials to Beijing, including the head of diplomacy Antony Blinken.
But bilateral relations are still tense, with trade disputes, Chinese expansion in the South China Sea and the question of Taiwan, which Beijing considers an integral part of its territory, remaining stumbling blocks.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, however, is expected in Washington before the APEC summit.
The White House did not provide details on Joe Biden's comments but according to the Washington Post, quoting a US official, the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders in San Francisco is “quite advanced”.
In August, Joe Biden indicated that he intended to meet President Xi during this summit in California.
The two leaders have not met since the G20 summit in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.
Also in August, the US president said that China was “a ticking time bomb in many ways,” citing its unemployment rate and aging workforce.
These difficulties raise concern because “when bad people have problems, they do bad things,” he added.
He also assured that he was seeking to maintain “a rational relationship with China.” “I mean no harm to China, but I am observing,” he said.
In June, Joe Biden offended Beijing by asserting that Xi Jinping belonged to the category of “dictators”, a comment seen as a “provocation” by Chinese diplomacy.