President Joe Biden left open the possibility Friday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping may have a sideline meeting of some sort in November while both are in San Francisco for APEC, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders's Summit.
Both leaders are going to be in San Francisco for the summit, which is happening November 11 to 17. And responding to reporters' questions today about a possible meeting with Xi, Biden said, "There has been no such meeting set up, but it is a possibility."
Biden and Xi had a similar sideline meeting during the Group of 20 meeting in Bali last November, and as the Associated Press reports, the two have not spoken since.
Since then, the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon in early February that first flew across much of the country, creating an international incident.
Leaders from 21 member economies are coming to SF next month to help promote free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and there is perhaps no trading relationship more tense right now than between the U.S. and China.
Relations between the two countries are in an increasingly perilous place, and the White House has been saying they were hoping for new talks between Biden and Xi sometime soon.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi held talks in Malta last month, and other cabinet figures, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, have made recent trips to China themselves.
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is taking a bipartisan coalition of U.S. officials to China next week, per the AP.
Top image: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the September jobs report at the White House on October 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. The U.S. economy added 336,000 new jobs in September, almost doubling expectations according to Bureau of Labor. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
