Comment PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — President Biden will hold his first one-on-one presidential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday in Bali ahead of next week’s Group of 20 summit. “The leaders will discuss efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication between the United States and the United States [People’s Republic of China], to responsibly manage competition and cooperate where our interests align, especially on transnational challenges that affect the international community,” White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said in a statement Thursday. “The two leaders will also discuss a range of regional and global issues.” The meeting comes after months of speculation over whether the two leaders would meet at the global summit of the world’s most powerful governments. It will come as the US-China relationship has hit one of its lowest points in decades. Biden’s national security strategy identified China as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge,” noting that the president was particularly concerned about the country’s efforts to “layer authoritarian rule with a revisionist foreign policy.” A senior administration official said on a call with reporters that White House aides expect the meeting to be a “substantive and in-depth discussion” between the two leaders, but did not foresee substantial progress on major issues. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the meeting, also said Biden would be “candid” about a “number of concerns,” including longstanding human rights issues. Instead, the official said, White House officials see the meeting as an effort for Biden and Xi to understand each other’s priorities and establish a “floor” for the relationship to ensure that lines of communication remain open to periods of tension. The senior official added that the White House found it noteworthy that Xi warned against the use of nuclear weapons – seen as a clear message to Russian President Vladimir Putin – and urged Germany to push for peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine war. Xi is at a moment of great political power after securing an unprecedented third five-year term, consolidating power to a degree not seen since the eras of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. He has also positioned his country defiantly against the West. The Chinese Communist Party hands Xi a never-ending rule for flexing power But Biden also enters the meeting in a stronger-than-expected position after Democrats beat expectations in Tuesday’s midterm elections, helping him curb calls from Democrats to consider ending his presidency after one term. Biden on Wednesday was asked about his meeting with Xi and what he hoped would come out of it. “I am not willing to make fundamental concessions,” he said during a news conference, before referring to some of his previous meetings with the Chinese leader. “I told him: I’m looking for competition – not conflict,” he said. Biden said he hopes he and Xi can outline what red lines each country has that are critical to their national interests, to determine whether they are in conflict and how to resolve them. “I’m sure we’re going to discuss … Taiwan, and I’m sure we’re going to discuss a number of other issues, including fair trade and relationships related to his relationship with other countries in the region,” Biden said. “So there’s a lot we’ll have to talk about.” Asked specifically if he would tell Xi that he is committed to defending Taiwan, Biden replied: “I will have that conversation with him.” The US-China relationship has faced additional tensions in recent months after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited Taiwan in August. Xi asked Biden days before Pelosi’s visit to find a way to keep the speaker, who is second in line for the presidency, from visiting after Chinese officials issued myriad warnings to their US counterparts about what could to make China in retaliation for visiting himself. -the ruling island that Beijing considers part of its territory. The Chinese leader asked Biden to block Pelosi from visiting Taiwan After Pelosi’s visit, China said it would cancel or suspend dialogue with the United States on issues such as climate change, military relations and counter-narcotics efforts. US officials said at the time that China was punishing the world by stalling climate talks, including with vulnerable nations in the Indo-Pacific. But Biden has also put China on edge over the Taiwan issue with his own remarks. On several occasions, Biden has said the United States is ready to defend Taiwan if it faces an unprecedented attack or invasion from China, but has said he does not support independence for the island nation. Ellen Nakashima in Washington contributed to this report.
