“DESTABILISING ACTIONS IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA”
On Tuesday, Biden and Xi will also discuss concerns over China’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine, its economic trade practices, human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the US official said.
Biden is also likely to warn Beijing over escalating confrontations in the South China Sea, an area China claims almost entirely – in conflict with international law.
“The President may also express concern over destabilising PRC actions in the South China Sea, including the dangerous recent action of the PRC Coast Guard against routine Philippine maritime operations”, the official said.
Biden and Xi have continued their talks looking to smooth over a rocky period in relations that took a turn for the worse after a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon transited the United States and was shot down by a US fighter jet last year.
Relations have shown signs of improvement in recent months as both sides took steps to re-establish channels of communication after ties between the two global superpowers sank to their lowest levels in decades.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in January and then US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in February. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will travel to China in April.