Saul Loeb Afp | Getty Images US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in person on Monday for the first time since Biden took office. “We must chart the right course for the China-US relationship,” Xi said at the start of the meeting in Mandarin, according to an official English translation. “We need to find the right direction for the bilateral relationship going forward and elevate the relationship.” The meeting took place in Bali, a day before the start of the G20 summit. The US and China can manage their differences and prevent competition from turning into conflict, Biden said, according to Reuters. The two leaders held a video conference in November 2021 and, among other things, had a call in late July. Tensions between the US and China have escalated in recent years, touching on flashpoints ranging from Taiwan and the war in Ukraine to the ability of US companies to sell high-tech technology to Chinese firms. Each president was accompanied by nine government officials. Representatives from the US side included Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns. Xi was accompanied by Ding Xuexiang, one of the new members of China’s highest power circle, He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Assistant Foreign Minister Hua Chunying also attended.
