Chinese embassy in US denies asking for talks about Biden-Xi summit
- Diplomats in Washington deny a Wall Street Journal report that they had written to the new administration proposing discussions
- Beijing is hoping to stabilise relations after a sharp downturn during Donald Trump’s presidency
The Chinese embassy in the United States has denied reports that it had sent a letter proposing a meeting between senior officials to discuss a summit between Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Beijing was pushing for a meeting between Yang Jiechi, China’s top diplomat, with Biden aides to explore a summit between the two nations’ leaders.
The report said the proposal had been made through letters sent by the Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai in December, soon after Xi congratulated Biden on his election victory, and through conversations with intermediaries.
It also said Chinese officials had not made a formal request to the Biden national security team.
But on Saturday a statement from the embassy said: “The Chinese side did not write any letters as mentioned in the report.
“A sound China-US relationship serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples and meets the general expectation of the international community.”