Chinese Premier Li Keqiang crossed paths with US President Joe Biden at a regional summit in Cambodia on Sunday, setting the stage for a highly anticipated meeting between the American leader and President Xi Jinping set for Monday.
The two were in a discussion at the East Asia Summit, a forum held among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) states and the group’s dialogue partners.
Although they are not known to have exchange words directly, the closed-door encounter is the first between Biden and any senior Chinese leader in two years and comes as tensions between the world’s two largest economies are at their worst in decades.
The two were in a discussion at the East Asia Summit, a forum held among Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) states and the group’s dialogue partners.
Although they are not known to have exchange words directly, the closed-door encounter is the first between Biden and any senior Chinese leader in two years and comes as tensions between the world’s two largest economies are at their worst in decades.
The White House said Biden spoke about a range of issues, including the need to respect freedom of navigation and overflight in the East China and South China seas.
Biden also highlighted that the US would “compete vigorously” with China and speak out against its human rights abuses while also keeping communication open and ensuring “competition does not veer into conflict”. Biden said earlier that the Democrats’ strong midterm election results in the United States placed him in a better position to meet Xi. “I know I’m coming in stronger,” he said in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, adding that he expected a “straightforward” discussion with the Chinese leader.
In remarks before the closed-door discussions began, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said he hoped leaders could come together to address “existential and strategic challenges” facing the world.
