Biden, Xi to address bilateral communication, managing competition: White House

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will discuss in-person this week how best to further ongoing bilateral competition and manage growing competition between the global super powers, a senior US official said Monday.

Biden and Xi are slated to have their first sit-down in a year on Wednesday as Pacific nations meet for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in San Francisco, California.

On Wednesday, the leaders "will discuss some of the most fundamental elements of the US-PRC bilateral relationship, including the continued importance of strengthening open lines of communication, and managing competition responsibly so that it does not veer into conflict," National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters, referring to China by its formal acronym.

"The way we achieve that is through intense diplomacy. That's how we clear up misperceptions and avoid surprises. That's how we work together where and when our interests overlap, and deliver on key priorities for the American people," he added.

Sullivan on Sunday said that Biden would press for the resumption of military-to-military communications after Beijing suspended them and took other punitive measures in reprisal for the downing of a Chinese aircraft that transited the US.

Washington maintains that it was a surveillance balloon, charges denied by Beijing, which says it was a weather balloon.