Chinese Embassy: No talks set between China, U.S. presidents so far

There is no arrangement for a conversation between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping for the time being, the Chinese embassy in Washington said on Tuesday.

At a White House briefing on Monday, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that Biden "will have another conversation with President Xi, and he'll do it at the appropriate time".

"There is so far no such an arrangement for the talks," a source with the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., who preferred not to be named, told China Daily.

Biden and Xi had their first face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, on Nov 14, after speaking on five phone or video calls since January 2021.

On May 10, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

The highest-level encounter between the two sides in recent months with "candid, in-depth, substantive and constructive" discussions had fueled speculation that they are paving the way for another talk between the heads of state.

At the White House briefing, Kirby said that he expected the upcoming "candid" talks will be about addressing "concerns, the challenges in this bilateral relationship, but also about the opportunities that still remain and we want to continue to pursue."

Beijing has said that communication is necessary at a time when the bilateral relations are growing increasingly strained, but that it isn't interested in talk for the sake of talk.

In an earlier interview with China Daily, the Chinese embassy noted that communication shouldn't be carried out for the sake of communication.

China and the U.S. have maintained necessary communication, the value of which lies in enhancing mutual understanding, managing differences and promoting cooperation.

"We call on the U.S. side to show sincerity, to work together with China, and to take concrete actions to create the conditions and atmosphere needed for communication and help bring China-U.S. relations back to the right track," the embassy said in a statement.

There have been high-level interactions between the two sides in Washington and Beijing in recent weeks.

On Monday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink and White House National Security Council's senior director for China affairs Sarah Beran met with Chinese foreign ministry officials in Beijing.

The two sides had "candid, constructive and productive" communication on improving bilateral relations and managing differences appropriately in line with the common understandings the two presidents reached in Bali last November, according to ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

"China stated its serious position on Taiwan and other major issues of principle. The two sides agreed to maintain communication," Wang said.

On May 25, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in Washington, raising concerns over U.S. policies on trade with China, issues concerning semiconductors, export controls, as well as a review of outbound investments.