Biden and Xi Jinping to Meet in San Francisco Bay Area for Summit of Pacific Rim Nations

President Joe Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay area, the White House announced on Friday. The two leaders will attend a summit of Pacific Rim nations and discuss a range of issues in the U.S.-People’s Republic of China (PRC) bilateral relationship.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the two leaders will “discuss the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues.” The statement also noted that the two leaders will build on their last meeting in November 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.

The statement said that the two leaders will discuss how the United States and the PRC can continue to responsibly manage competition. Additionally, the president and the U.S. will work on reopening important military communications channels that have been cut off, managing competition and addressing security issues.

The White House has not released any further details about the summit, but it is expected that the two leaders will discuss a range of topics, including trade, human rights, and the South China Sea. It is also expected that the two leaders will discuss ways to cooperate on global issues, such as climate change.

The summit will be closely watched by the international community, as it will be the first meeting between the two leaders since President Biden took office. It will also be the first time the two leaders have met since the U.S. and China began to experience increased tensions in the past few years.