According to an unnamed source cited by the Reuters news agency, the meeting is expected to take place tomorrow, Thursday.
Joe Biden intends to discuss with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping the punitive tariffs on many Chinese products, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday, noting that the US president has not yet made a final decision on their possible removal.
According to an unnamed source cited by the Reuters news agency, the meeting is expected to take place tomorrow, Thursday.
US-China trade issues will “certainly be discussed” in the meeting that Joe Biden wants to have “probably this week” with the Chinese leader, John Kirby, the White House spokesman for trade relations, told reporters. strategic affairs.
The US president believes that “the tariffs imposed by his predecessor were poorly designed”, he continued. “We believe they have cost American families, small businesses and farmers dearly.”
The Democratic president, faced with high inflation that is frustrating Americans, is under pressure to lift tariffs to de-escalate the avalanche of rising prices.
His representative, however, hinted that although the issue will be raised at the conference, the announcement on the possible lifting of customs duties will be made later in any case.
Joe Biden “hasn’t made a decision,” he insisted. “I don’t think this will be a major topic of discussion with President Xi because he hasn’t made a decision.”
The conversation with Xi Jinping, which will be the fifth between the two leaders since Mr. Biden took office, will also, according to Mr. Kirby, deal with tensions with Taiwan, which China considers its province; the war in Ukraine, which Beijing has not condemned; Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea; and the competition between the world’s two largest economies.
One of the main purposes of the dialogue is to carefully “manage” the bilateral relationship, Mr. Kerby explained. Joe Biden “wants to be sure that (there are) channels of communication with President Xi on all the issues,” those “that we agree on and those that we have serious difficulties with,” that the two leaders can pick up the phone and “they talk frankly.”
Among the issues causing tensions is the possible visit of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan.
News of Ms. Pelosi’s possible trip is already causing outrage in Beijing.
John Kirby limited himself to saying that to date Nancy Pelosi “has not announced any trips” to the island.
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