US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to hold virtual summits next week. According to CNBC sources, Xi will probably use this to personally invite his American counterpart to attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Such an invitation would pose a dilemma for Biden. China is under international fire for the human rights situation in Xinjiang, where critics say the Uyghurs are being oppressed. A possible ” diplomatic boycott ” is currently being discussed within the G7, a group of wealthy industrialized countries to which the US also belongs, a possible “diplomatic boycott” is currently being discussed. Then athletes will be allowed to go to the Games in February, but heads of state will stay away.
Relations between the US and China have deteriorated significantly in recent years. There was disagreement about trade, dealing with the corona pandemic and Chinese meddling in politics in Hong Kong. US officials see personal contact between Biden and Xi as a way to improve relations between the countries.
Reuters news agency sources say the meeting between the two leaders is expected to take place on Monday, a few days after the COP26 climate summit. Biden and Xi last had a personal meeting in early September. That lasted an hour and a half and dealt with topics such as climate, the coronavirus and economic issues.