China's Xi to meet Biden, Macron at G20 summit in Bali

China's President Xi Jinping will meet his US counterpart Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron at the G20 group of nations summit in the Indonesian resort of Bali next week.

The meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jingping will be the pair's first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office. © AFP

China's Foreign Ministry said the meeting with Biden – which the White House said would take place on Monday – would be the pair's first face-to-face meeting since Biden became President.

Biden and Xi last met in person during the Obama administration, and US ties with China have since sunk to their lowest level in decades, most notably since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's August trip to Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its territory.

China is Washington's main strategic rival and the world's second-largest economy after the United States.

Biden has been seeking stable relations with Beijing despite tensions over Taiwan, the South China Sea, trade and a range of other issues.

The heads of state of China and the US will have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. pic.twitter.com/foPVJ8xoDX

— Spokesperson发言人办公室 (@MFA_China) November 11, 2022

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'Deepen lines of communication'

Xi will reportedly meet Biden and Macron next week in Bali – between 14 and 17 November – as well as Senegal's Macky Sall and Argentina's Alberto Fernandez.

He will then travel to Thailand to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit from 17 to 19 November.

The White House says Biden will meet Xi to "discuss efforts to maintain and deepen lines of communication," as well as how to "responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align."

The US and China have a massive investment and trade relationship but are also challenging each other's military and diplomatic influence, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

This comes as French foreign minister Catherine Colonna said last week that Emmanuel Macron is likely to visit China in the coming months.