Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Joe Biden that both the US and China should be fully capable of rising above differences in their first meeting of the year on Wednesday. The two leaders are looking to get communication back on track after a tumultuous year.
Biden welcomed the Chinese leader at the Filoli estate, a country house and gardens about 30 miles (48 km) south of San Francisco, where they will move later for a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
During the bilateral meeting, Xi also told Biden that they shoulder heavy responsibility to the world.
Biden is expected to let Xi know that he would like China to use its sway over Iran to make clear that Tehran or its proxies should not take action that could lead to the expansion of the Israel-Hamas war. The Biden administration also sees the Chinese, a big buyer of Iranian oil, as having considerable leverage with Iran, which is a major backer of Hamas.
Biden on Tuesday billed the meeting as a chance to get Washington and Beijing back “on a normal course corresponding” once again.