Biden's meeting with Xi will likely be the most consequential moment during the American president's time in South America.
President Joe Biden speaks at the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024.
White House officials insist that Biden's visits to APEC and the G20 will be substantive, with talks on climate issues, global infrastructure, counternarcotic efforts and one-on-one meetings with global leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, and a joint meeting with South Korea's Yoon and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Sullivan indicated that White House officials also are making clear to Trump's team that the delicate U.S.-China relationship is the "paramount priority for the incoming administration."The White House had been working for months to arrange the meeting with Xi, whose country is the United States' most prominent economic and national security competitor.
James Bosworth, founder of the Latin America-focused political consultancy Hxagon, said Biden will use one of his last big moments in the international spotlight "to reassure the world that transitions of power are normal for democracies." Biden has tried to maintain a steady relationship with Xi even as the U.S. administration repeatedly has raised concerns about what it sees as malign action by Beijing.