Biden, Xi to meet for talks
NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Chinese leader Xi Jinping will arrive on the Indonesian island of Bali on Monday for a long-awaited meeting with US President Joe Biden, ahead of a Group of 20 (G20) summit set to be fraught with tension over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, many of the same issues that loom over the G20 that opens on Tuesday without Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will represent the Russian president at the G20 summit — the first since Russia invaded Ukraine in February — after the Kremlin said Mr Putin was too busy to attend.
On the eve of his meeting with Mr Xi, Mr Biden told Asian leaders in Cambodia that US communication lines with China would stay open to prevent conflict, with tough talks almost certain in the days ahead.
The United States would “compete vigorously” with Beijing while “ensuring competition does not veer into conflict”, said Mr Biden, stressing the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait during an address to the East Asia Summit in Cambodia. He arrived in Bali on Sunday night.
Relations between the superpowers have sunk to their lowest in decades, marred by growing tensions in recent years over a host of issues ranging from Hong Kong and Taiwan to the South China Sea, coercive trade practices and US restrictions on Chinese technology.
Tensions rose further after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s August trip to Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its territory. The visit enraged China, which subsequently launched military drills near Taiwan. ■
PICTURE: AP