Home

US mulls talks with Chinese president

Trevor HunnicuttAAP
Jake Sullivan (right) says US President Joe Biden may hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Camera IconJake Sullivan (right) says US President Joe Biden may hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Credit: AP

The White House will consider arranging talks between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as the two countries spar over issues including human rights, a US official says.

Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the two leaders are due to "take stock of where we are in the relationship".

Officials in Beijing fumed over a communique issued at Biden's urging by the G7 leaders on Sunday.

It scolded the country over human rights in its Xinjiang region and Hong Kong while also demanding a full and thorough investigation of the origins of the coronavirus in China.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

"Soon enough we will sit down to work out the right modality for the two presidents to engage," Sullivan told reporters on a conference call.

"It could be a phone call, it could be a meeting on the margins of another international summit, it could be something else."

Biden and Xi are both expected to attend the G20 meeting in October hosted by Italy, one possible venue for such talks.

Sullivan said no final decisions have been made.

Asked if he would call on Xi to push for an investigation in COVID-19 origins, Biden on Wednesday told reporters: "We know each other well; we're not old friends. It's just pure business."

Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.

Sign up for our emails