Xi Jinping and Joe Biden plan a virtual meeting for the end of the year

The president of United States, Joe Biden, and its Chinese counterpart, Xi JinpingThey plan to meet virtually “before the end of the year,” a senior White House official said Wednesday.

There is a “principle of agreement” for a “virtual bilateral meeting”the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.

“The president said it would be nice to see Xi, which he has not done for some years “said the official. “We hope they have a chance to see each other, even if only virtually.”

The official cited press reports that Xi will not attend the next G20 leaders meeting in Rome, which would have been a natural place for Biden organize a bilateral meeting.

The virtual meeting was announced after the national security adviser of USA, Jake Sullivan, met in Zurich with China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi. The senior official said those talks lasted six hours.

Sullivan’s trip reaffirms the improvement in contacts between Beijing and Washington, as Biden advocates establishing “security barriers” for the growing tension between the two powers, which increases in the face of China’s aggressive stance towards Taiwan, the decision of the United States selling nuclear submarines to Australia, trade disputes and human rights violations against Uighurs in Xinjiang.

On Monday, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said she would speak with her Chinese counterpart soon, as a massive trade dispute continues with no end in sight.

After the Zurich meeting, Sullivan will visit Brussels and Paris, where he will also “report on his meeting with Director Yang to our European allies and partners,” the White House anticipated.

Biden, who has known Xi for years, has had two phone calls with the Chinese leader since he took office. The second, which lasted 90 minutes, took place last month.

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