President Xi Jinping of China made his first visit to the U.S. in six years on Tuesday.
The visit follows remarks by President Joe Biden and his top diplomat emphasizing the significance of freedoms that Washington asserts Beijing is undermining in the Asia-Pacific region and expressing optimism for improved relations with China, respectively.
Today, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden are scheduled to meet for discussions that have the potential to alleviate tensions between the two superpowers regarding drug trafficking, artificial intelligence, and military conflicts.
Xi will meet Biden in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday morning before attending the annual APEC summit.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed ministers of the twenty-one-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) prior to Xi’s arrival, reiterating the United States’ commitment to “a region where economies are free to choose their own path… where goods, ideas, and people flow lawfully and freely.”
Biden and Xi are expected to discuss the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine in its fight against the Russian military, according to White House national security spokesman John Kirby.
Biden said the U.S. wants to improve economic relations with China, not decouple. As economic and military competition between China and the U.S. grows, his administration has sought to “de-risk” some critical supply chains.
Today, Xi will dine with top U.S. business executives to attract foreign investment to help his country fight its recent struggles at APEC.