Xi Jinping plans to meet Biden in person in November: WSJ

Chinese officials are preparing for President Xi Jinping to meet U.S. President Joe Biden face to face in November during a Southeast Asia trip, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Friday.

It will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Biden took office in January 2021, and comes after tensions rose over Taiwan following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-governing island. It will also be Xi’s first international trip in nearly three years.

Xi plans to attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia in mid-November, and then go to Bangkok for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the preparations. The report also said the plan is still in the early stages and could be changed.

Xi and Biden spoke over the phone days before Pelosi’s Taiwan visit on Aug. 3 and 4. At that time, Xi warned the U.S. not to “play with fire” about Pelosi’s planned visit.

Xi is expected to enter his third term in the fall, which is unprecedented for a Chinese leader in recent decades.

Author: KATSUHIKO HARA, Nikkei Asia