Biden-Xi summit to take place on Wednesday

Items on agenda include Israel-Hamas war, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Taiwan

WASHINGTON - United States President Joe Biden will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping face to face for the first time in a year on Wednesday, according to senior US officials, for high-stakes diplomacy aimed at curbing tensions between the world's two superpowers.

The closely watched interaction, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in the San Francisco Bay Area, could last hours and involve teams of officials from Beijing and Washington.

It is expected to cover global issues from the Israel-Hamas war to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, North Korea's ties with Russia, Taiwan, the Indo-Pacific, human rights, fentanyl, artificial intelligence, and "fair" trade and economic relations, the officials said.

"Nothing will be held back; everything is on the table," a senior Biden administration official, who declined to be named, told reporters. "We're clear-eyed about this.

We know efforts to shape or reform China over several decades have failed. But we expect China to be around and to be a major player on the world stage for the rest of our lifetimes." On Friday, the White House confirmed the day of the meeting in a statement, while the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Mr Xi would visit the US from next Tuesday to Friday, attend the Apec summit and meet Mr Biden.