US-China ties: Xi-Biden summit would show talking is ‘not weakness’, former envoy for East Asia Susan Thornton says
- Both sides ‘working pretty hard’ to make a meeting happen at November’s Apec forum, the former diplomat said during her trip to China
- Thornton said she perceived a steadying upwards trend in the relationship during her visit
“It seems to me that both sides are working pretty hard toward making that [meeting] happen,” said Thornton, who was in China as part of a delegation from the New York-based National Committee on American Foreign Policy.
Days after the interview, California Governor Gavin Newsom welcomed Xi to his state for next month’s Apec forum – seen as the likeliest opportunity for the two leaders to meet in person for the first time since Bali a year ago.
Beijing’s official statement on Newsom’s meeting with Xi on Wednesday, during a week-long visit to China, did not mention the invitation.
While Beijing has yet to confirm whether Xi will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ forum, there have been increasing official contacts in recent months between the US and China, raising hopes of a Xi-Biden summit.