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US President Joe Biden and Chinese head of state Xi Jinping met in person for the first time in a year. The two met on Wednesday (local time) in a beautiful building south of San Francisco and greeted each other with a handshake. They wanted to discuss various controversial topics. The relationship between the US and China has been very tense for a long time. Biden and Xi have not seen or spoken in person since the G20 summit in Bali in November 2022. There have been several meetings and discussions between high-ranking government representatives from both sides in recent months, but no direct exchanges between the two presidents.

The two heads of state met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. However, Biden received Xi at a separate location, in a quiet area, 45 kilometers from San Francisco. The two wanted to take a few hours there to talk extensively about a whole range of topics and points of contention. After the meeting on Thursday evening in Germany, Biden wanted to give a press conference – alone.

The American side had previously emphasized that the purpose of the meeting was mainly to shape competition between the two countries in a responsible manner, to secure communication channels and to avoid falling into conflict. (sda/dpa)