Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters at a regular briefing in the Chinese capital on Thursday (Nov 10) that China “attaches importance to the US proposal to hold a meeting between the two heads of state in Bali”.
“Currently, the two sides are maintaining communication in this regard,” said Zhao.
He added that Taiwan remains the “core of China’s core interests”.
“We are willing to work with the US side to realise mutual respect, peaceful co-existence, win-win cooperation, while at the same time resolutely defending our own sovereignty, security and development interests,” he said.
Xi’s attendance has not yet been confirmed by the Chinese foreign ministry, which normally announces his travel plans shortly before they happen, but he is widely expected to be present.
“I expect Xi Jinping to arrive at the G20 exuding confidence from the refreshed mandate he has just received from the Communist Party of China,” said Drew Thompson, visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore.
Biden on Wednesday appeared to confirm a meeting with Xi on the G20 sidelines, saying that he would gauge Xi’s “red lines” to reduce the potential for conflict after soaring tensions on Taiwan.
Experts are not expecting any breakthroughs on resolving long-term differences, however.
“The political differences between the US and China are deep-seated … A meeting on the margins of a multilateral meeting (is) not the venue to resolve such strategic differences,” said Thompson.
“There is certainly benefit to the engagement, such as better understanding what each side expects from the other, which can hopefully reduce misunderstanding and prevent miscalculation.”
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