Kamala Harris Meets Briefly With China's Xi Jinping: Here's What They Discussed

Days after his extensive talks with President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday during the Bangkok Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. 

"The Vice President noted a key message that President Biden emphasized in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to manage the competition between our countries responsibly," the White House official said.

"I greeted President Xi before the APEC Leaders Retreat," Harris wrote in a Twitter post. 

Today in Bangkok, I greeted President Xi before the APEC Leaders Retreat. I noted a key message that President Biden emphasized in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries. pic.twitter.com/C5gpFxdg1Q

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) November 19, 2022

During the APEC meeting, Harris told the gathered world leaders that the U.S. would continue to focus APEC on sustainable economic growth, building on the strong foundation Thailand set this year with new ambitious sustainability goals.

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Harris' meeting with Xi came after the U.S. said it is looking for China to do more to manage its ally North Korea. 

On Friday, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile that officials said could hit the U.S. mainland. 

Harris held talks on North Korea's latest missile launch with the prime ministers of five U.S. partners, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, to issue a strong condemnation of North Korea.

Talking about meeting with Biden, Xi told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that the conversation was strategic and constructive and had crucial guiding significance for the next stage of China-U.S. relations.

"It is hoped that the two sides will further enhance mutual understanding, reduce misunderstanding and misjudgment, and jointly promote China-U.S. relations to return to a healthy and stable track," he said.