US media reported on Thursday that President Joe Biden will hold a long-anticipated virtual summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, as tensions grow between the two countries over various issues, primarily Taiwan, human rights, and trade. CNN and Politico cited unnamed sources stating that the summit will take place on Monday.
Biden and Xi have previously spoken on the phone twice, but this summit will be their first video meeting and is highly significant as it represents an opportunity for the two superpowers to continue dialogue at the highest level when such communication is most needed.
The White House announced in early October that the two presidents had tentatively agreed to hold this summit, although no date had been set at that time. In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters that the two presidents "agreed to maintain frequent communications through multiple channels." He added that "China and the United States are currently in close contact regarding specific arrangements for the leaders' summit."
In Anchorage, Alaska, the first face-to-face meeting between Biden and Xi occurred in March since the Democratic president took office at the beginning of the year. That summit aimed to ease unprecedented deep disagreements between the two global powers.
Relations between the world's two largest economies have deteriorated in recent weeks, particularly due to their dispute over Taiwan. Beijing has intensified its military activities near Taiwan, the self-governed island that China considers an integral part of its territory.
At the beginning of October, a record number of aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone. Washington has repeatedly expressed support for Taiwan against China's moves, although the United States and China reached a surprising agreement on climate during the Glasgow summit.
