(Washington) The first virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping is expected to take place on Monday, several US media reported Thursday.
The two men have already phoned each other twice, but this summit is an opportunity for the two superpowers to continue the dialogue, at a time when relations between Beijing and Washington are at their lowest on a whole series of subjects, from trade to human rights through to China’s regional ambitions.
The principle of this meeting, the first by videoconference since the Democrat came to power in January, was announced in early October by the White House.
The meeting is theoretically scheduled for Monday according to CNN and Politico, which cite anonymous sources.
Asked Thursday during a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin recalled that the two heads of state had “agreed to maintain frequent contacts by multiple means”.
“Currently, China and the United States are in close communication about the specific arrangements for the leaders’ summit,” he added.
It was in Anchorage, Alaska, that the United States and China held their first face-to-face meeting in March since Joe Biden arrived at the White House. The meeting had given rise to the unprecedented unpacking of the deep disagreements between the two leading world powers.
Tensions have escalated further in recent weeks over the fate of Taiwan, which Chinese authorities see as a province that must return to their fold.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Thursday against a context worthy of the “cold war”, within the Asia-Pacific region, where the United States seeks to counter the ambitions of Beijing.
The Chinese leader, however, said he was “ready to work” with the United States.
Joe Biden also assures that he wants to cooperate with the Chinese authorities on certain common challenges such as the climate. On this issue, Beijing and Washington announced Wednesday in Glasgow their intention to jointly redouble their efforts to fight against global warming.