Will Meet Virtually Next Monday, President Xi May Invite President Biden To Beijing Olympics

President Xi Jinping with President Joe Biden. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

JAKARTA - US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to hold a virtual summit next Monday, sources said, amid tensions over trade, human rights, and military activity.

Washington and Beijing have debated on issues ranging from the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to the expansion of China's nuclear arsenal. US officials believe direct engagement with President Xi is the best way to prevent relations between the world's two largest economies from spiraling into conflict.

The White House declined to comment on Thursday, while Chinese officials did not immediately comment on this.

Separately, President Joe Biden is expected to address the leaders' summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Conference in an online appearance on Friday morning.

President Xi is likely to invite President Biden to attend the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, CNBC reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

Such a request could put the US president in an uncomfortable place as he presses China on human rights. President Biden is unlikely to go to Beijing for any meetings, with the US President not attending the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, a key American ally.

President Biden and President Xi Jinping last spoke on September 9, a 90-minute conversation that a senior US official said focused on economic issues, climate change, and COVID-19.

To note, President Biden is eager to hold face-to-face talks with Xi to try to reduce tensions with Beijing over Taiwan and a number of other issues.

US officials want President Biden to meet President Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome two weeks ago. However, President Xi has not traveled outside China since the pandemic broke out 21 months ago.

On Wednesday, the two countries unveiled a framework agreement at the United Nations climate conference in Scotland aimed at enhancing cooperation to tackle climate change.

President Biden's most recent virtual meeting and President Xi agreed in principle last month, during talks in Zurich, Switzerland between US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi.

The White House said Sullivan voiced concern about China's actions in the South China Sea, as well as human rights and Beijing's stance on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.

A senior administration official said nothing could be announced yet.

"We have in principle an agreement to hold a virtual bilateral meeting before the end of the year. Working-level discussions are underway to confirm the details," the official said.

To note, the White House has marked the upcoming meeting as part of the United States' ongoing efforts to "responsibly manage" the rivalry between the two countries.