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WH: Biden, China's Xi to "engage" in next few weeks

WASHINGTON, June 27 (KUNA) -- US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Monday that US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected "to engage over the course of the next few weeks." "We do expect that the President and President Xi will have the opportunity to engage over the course of the next few weeks," Sullivan said during a press gaggle in Germany.
He added, "We do think that there is increasing convergence, both at the G7 and at NATO, around the challenge China poses and around the urgent need for consultation." He stressed, "Competition does not mean confrontation or conflict. We're not looking for a Cold War, and we're not looking to divide the world into rival blocs and make every country choose." "We want to stand for a set of principles, rules of the road that are fair and understood and agreed by everybody," he continued. "We want to ensure that we're working with like-minded partners to hold China accountable to adhere to those rules." Last week, Biden told reporters that he will speak with Xi "soon" and that he is "in the process" of making up his mind on lifting tariffs on China. (end) si.gta