The White House is in the process of arranging an in-person meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, scheduled to take place in San Francisco next month. This meeting is seen as an effort by both countries to improve their strained relationship, as tensions have escalated over several issues including Taiwan, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, allegations of espionage, human rights concerns, and trade disputes, among others.
The possibility of this meeting has been described as "fairly solid" by senior US officials, as they initiate the planning process. While the Chinese embassy in Washington did not specifically comment on the news report, they emphasized the need for both nations to expand "good faith" cooperation. The White House has not provided an immediate response to these reports.
This potential meeting follows a series of high-level engagements between the US and China in recent months. US officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, have visited China. Furthermore, there have been recent meetings between Blinken and Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, as well as between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta.
The last in-person meeting between President Biden and Xi took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia in November of the previous year. Prior to that, they had engaged in five exchanges via phone and video conferences since President Biden's inauguration.
China's top security agency had previously suggested that a meeting between the two leaders would depend on the United States demonstrating "sufficient sincerity." US officials have stated their commitment to maintaining ties with China, while Beijing has expressed concerns regarding Washington's approval of arms sales and military funding for Taiwan.
It's worth noting that San Francisco is set to host an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, which President Xi may attend. In a recent development, President Xi did not attend the G20 Summit in Delhi, which President Biden participated in.
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