US-China ties: Joe Biden to meet Xi Jinping on APEC summit sidelines. What to expect?

US President Joe Biden is all set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday in San Francisco on the sidelines of the 30th APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) summit. The leaders from the 21-member forum will gather at the global summit. 

The Biden-Xi bilateral will be the marquee moment of the forum, which is dedicated to promoting trade, investment, and economic development among nations around the Pacific Ocean.

The meeting came amid rising tension between the two nations following a series of events touched off by the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that had wafted across the US earlier this year.

Biden-Xi meet: What to expect? 

1) Trade, Taiwan, and managing fraught US-Chinese relations are likely to feature in the talks between the two world leaders. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was earlier quoted in a statement as saying that the leaders would discuss the “continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication".

2) Biden and Xi might also discuss how they “can continue to responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community.".

3) One Biden administration has earlier official said the US President is looking toward “managing the competition, preventing the downside risk of conflict and ensuring channels of communication are open."

4) Biden will also likely press Xi on using China's influence on North Korea. This comes amid heightened anxiety over an increased pace of ballistic missile tests by North Korea. Moreover, Pyongyang has reportedly been providing munitions to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

5) He may also let Xi know that he would like China to use its burgeoning sway over Iran to make clear that Tehran or its proxies should not take action that could lead to the expansion of the Israel-Hamas war. His administration believes the Chinese, a big buyer of Iranian oil, have considerable leverage with Iran, which is a major backer of Hamas.

6) US officials also stated that the Biden-Xi meeting will produce some concrete results, including the possible re-establishment of military communication between the two nations and a shared effort to combat illicit fentanyl trafficking.

(With inputs from agencies)