Biden says he will speak to his Chinese counterpart soon

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden said Monday that he would speak with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping soon.

"Yes," Biden told reporters when asked if he will do so, without saying when they would talk.

Earlier, Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said "we would expect President Biden and President Xi to have a conversation" citing the end of China’s National People's Congress.

"I can't give you a date, because there's no date set, but President Biden has indicated his willingness to have a telephone conversation with President Xi once they're back and in stride coming off of the National People's Congress," Sullivan told reporters.

The two leaders last met in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022.

Tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated after a US F-22 fighter jet downed a Chinese spy balloon near the coast of South Carolina last month. In addition, reports that China is considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia for the Ukraine war have added more strain.

Xi clinched a third term as China's president after being re-elected at the 14th National People's Congress on Friday.