President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping will hold a virtual meeting on Monday, in an intensified effort to smooth relations amid concerns about China’s military activity near Taiwan and its growing nuclear arsenal.
The White House said that Biden and Xi would speak on Monday evening, Washington time, following two calls held earlier this year between the American and Chinese leaders. Biden had hoped for an in-person summit, but Xi has not left China for almost two years because of the pandemic.
“The two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the People’s Republic of China as well as ways to work together where our interests align,” said Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary.