Xi Jinping May Meet Joe Biden Later This Year Hints White House Special Envoy John Kerry Ahead Of Meeting Chinese Vice President

Joe Biden's special climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday hinted at a possibility of a potential meeting between U.S. President and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping later this year.

What Happened: Kerry, in opening remarks during his meeting with Han Zheng, Vice President of China, said, "We pledge to work with you very closely in order to help our presidents to be able, hopefully, to be able to produce real results should they be involved at the APEC meeting in San Francisco," reported CNBC.

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"We don't know what will take place yet," he added, alluding to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Summit, scheduled to take place in San Francisco in November. 

There is a possibility that Xi may visit the U.S. for the summit and have a meeting with Biden during that period.

Meanwhile, Han did not explicitly mention a meeting between Xi and Biden in his initial statements.

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Why It Matters: Kerry’s trip to Beijing signifies the third visit by a senior U.S. official to the Chinese capital in approximately a month after the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had also traveled to Beijing to meet their Chinese counterparts. 

Kerry emphasized the need for collaboration between China and the U.S. in the lead-up to COP28 to address climate change and make a significant impact effectively. 

During a meeting with Chinese government officials and climate experts, Yellen also emphasized the importance of cooperation between the U.S. and China in tackling the "existential threat" of climate change.

Biden administration has been long pushing for a series of meetings and phone calls to make it harder for Beijing to refuse engagement. According to previous reports, the U.S. strategy aims to ease tensions with China and label President Xi as a recalcitrant if he declines.

Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com

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