Joe Biden Meets with Wang Yi; The U.S. and China Prepare for a Leaders' Summit

Joe Biden and Wang Yi, China's Foreign Minister, met on Friday at the White House. This meeting was part of the two countries' efforts to manage differences and prepare the ground for a leaders' summit next month. Wang Yi had previously met with Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State. John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator, stated that Biden remains hopeful to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the near future. The two countries are also laying the groundwork for the anticipated meeting between Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will take place next month in San Francisco. John Kirby told reporters that Biden is still hopeful to meet with Xi Jinping soon, but he could not confirm whether an agreement for the meeting between the two presidents has been reached. China has not yet announced whether Xi will attend the summit. Kirby also commented on Biden's meeting with Wang, which was also attended by Blinken and Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, saying, 'In his view, this meeting is a positive development and a good opportunity to continue dialogue.' Wang Yi arrived at the U.S. State Department late Thursday — marking the first visit by a Chinese foreign minister to Washington during Biden's administration — and met with his counterpart Antony Blinken. The Israel-Hamas conflict has added complexity to U.S.-China relations, and Washington hopes that Beijing can use its influence over the Islamic Republic to prevent the escalation of war in the Middle East. The U.S. Secretary of State met with his Chinese counterpart for the second time. Xi Jinping: China is willing to cooperate with the U.S. and manage differences. Blinken: Iran's missile activities are 'one of the biggest challenges' to international peace and security.