WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden emphasized the need for responsible management of competition between the United States and China during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to a new release by Yonhap News Agency,The meeting took place as Washington seeks Beijing’s cooperation to prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading further in the Middle East and to tackle other global challenges. Wang’s visit to the United States also came amid anticipation of a potential meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco, scheduled from November 11-17.
“The president emphasized that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication,” the White House readout stated. “He underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges.”
During the meeting, Biden expressed condolences for the passing of former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. When asked about the possibility of a meeting between Biden and Xi at the APEC summit, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said the president expects to meet with Xi “in the near future” and that preparations are underway.
Despite ongoing issues, including U.S. accusations of “coercive and risky” Chinese actions in the South China Sea and tightened chip export restrictions against China, the U.S. is keen to cooperate with Beijing on areas of mutual concern. Specifically, the U.S. hopes that China will use its influence in the Middle East, particularly its relations with Iran, to deescalate the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Later in the day, Wang also met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. Both sides indicated they are working towards a leader-level meeting between Biden and Xi during the APEC summit, according to an anonymous senior administration official.
In recent months, the Biden administration has sought to improve relations with China, as evidenced by high-level visits by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. This diplomatic outreach follows a period of tensions exacerbated by China’s deployment of a spy balloon over North America earlier this year.