U.S., Canadian Leaders Meet With Chinese President Xi Jinping

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping convened for their first in-person meeting as heads of state before last week’s G-20 conference. The two addressed escalating tensions over Taiwan, Russia’s war on the Ukraine, and trade policy.

Throughout his two years in the White House and in his time in the U.S. Senate, President Biden has emphasized the importance of fair competition between the two economic powers, as well as existing trade enforcement tools that could be used to compel China to address market-distorting policies and practices.

While no specific progress was made on that issue, the U.S. president said the three-hour meeting helped address current tensions and will serve to keep the relationship between the United States and China productive.

“The world expects, I believe, the U.S. and China to play a key role in global challenges, from climate change to food insecurity, and for us to be able to work together,” President Biden said. “The United States stands ready to do just that.”

While the two presidents did not issue a joint statement after the meeting, they publicly pledged to improve the relationship between the United States and China and agreed on the need for bilateral cooperation around matters like climate change.

As ABC News reported, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also met with the Chinese president last week and spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea, and climate change.