With only weeks to go to prepare for a possible summit with President Biden, Chinese officials floated a plan: If Xi Jinping agrees to meet, he first wants to sit down for a banquet with American business leaders. The Biden administration has engaged with Beijing while looking over its shoulder to avoid criticism from Republicans and other China skeptics in Congress, officials said. Both Biden and Xi have an interest in keeping the rivalry from careering into conflict. Aside from Blinken, Biden sent a succession of other high-level administration officials to Beijing to show that the U.S. is interested in talking. “We’ve told the Americans we need a period of peace," said a Chinese official.

Source: Wall Street Journal November 13, 2023 13:57 UTC