Biden and Xi to Seek to Stabilize Relations in California Meeting – The New York Times

President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China plan to meet in California on Wednesday for a discussion that Mr. Biden s advisers say is meant to stabilize relations even as it features a host of topics on which the two fiercely competitive countries disagree.

The Biden administration, which formally announced the meeting on Friday morning, said the two leaders would have the highly choreographed discussion as they attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, known as APEC.

In a call with reporters on Thursday, two senior advisers to Mr. Biden said the meeting was intended to be wide-ranging, with Mr. Biden prepared to bring up issues including Taiwan, election interference, the war in Ukraine and the war between Israel and Hamas.

Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China, is set to hold elections early next year, and one of the advisers said Mr. Biden would seek to present Mr. Xi with clarity meaning that the United States expects Beijing not to interfere and is concerned that it might. Mr. Biden is also expected to warn Mr. Xi against interfering in U.S. elections.

The advisers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preview the meeting, did not provide specifics on its location, citing security concerns.

via www.nytimes.com

It also turns out this is a convenient way for China to drop off Ol’ Joe’s usual check.