US Official: "Biden to Mention North Korea's Involvement to Xi Jinping"

U.S. President Joe Biden (left) is welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping near Woodside, California, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting was held on November 15 last year (local time). Photo by Yonhap News

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit in Peru on the 16th (local time). President Biden is expected to mention North Korea's deployment during the meeting.

A senior U.S. government official stated at a press briefing on the 13th that President Biden will meet with President Xi on the 16th, taking advantage of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Lima, Peru. This will be the third face-to-face summit between President Biden and President Xi.

The face-to-face summit between President Biden and President Xi is expected to be their last meeting. President Biden will hand over the White House keys to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20 next year and retire.

Regarding the agenda of the meeting, the senior official said that President Biden will express deep concerns to President Xi about China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war. He will also raise issues regarding the North Korean troops recently deployed to Russia who have begun combat operations against Ukraine. He added, "We are increasingly concerned about the long-term security implications of North Korea’s deployment for Europe and the Indo-Pacific."

President Biden and President Xi are also expected to evaluate the achievements in bilateral relations since their last summit in November, including maintaining communication channels between their military authorities and cooperation in eradicating narcotics.

At the same time, the senior U.S. official said President Biden will warn that China’s cyberattacks on U.S. infrastructure and critical networks are unacceptable and emphasize that such actions will intensify the U.S.’s de-risking measures targeting China.

The senior official added that President Biden will also stress the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and express concerns about China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.