BANGKOK/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday met briefly with Chinese President Xi Jinping, a White House official said.
“The Vice President noted a key message that President Biden emphasized in his November 14 meeting with President Xi: we must maintain open lines of communication to responsibly manage the competition between our countries,” the official said.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV confirmed the meeting later in the morning.
Xi Jinping said the meeting with President Biden in Bali, Indonesia, was strategic and constructive, and had important guiding significance for the next stage of China-U.S. relations, according to the broadcaster’s official readout of the meeting.
“It is hoped that the two sides will further enhance mutual understanding, reduce misunderstanding and misjudgment, and jointly promote China-US relations to return to a healthy and stable track.”
Harris and Xi met at the APEC summit in Thailand.
(Reporting by Poppy McPherson in Bangkok and Josh Horwitz in Shanghai; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed Davies and Gerry Doyle)