2023 APEC summit

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??  Biden, Xi summit next week

Biden and Xi reach out to shake hands the last time they met — in 2022 in Indonesia. Photo: Alex Brandon/AP It's official: President Biden will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in San Francisco, where the APEC summit begins tomorrow, the White House announced this morning. Why it matters: The Biden administration has been working behind the scenes to improve communication between the superpowers as tensions rise over Taiwan and other military and economic issues. The leaders will focus on "the continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication, and a range of regional and global issues," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. They'll also discuss how the countries "can continue to responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community." Thousands of protesters are expected in San Francisco during the summit. Go deeper: What to expect from APEC in San Francisco.

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? San Francisco welcomes the world

A freshly scrubbed San Francisco is welcoming world leaders to this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) with the help of lots of police — and lots of fences around the Moscone Center.

• The city has created green and red zones throughout the city to indicate APEC events and security-related activities, Axios San Francisco reports.

See a cool, zoomable map.

President Biden wants to use the summit to show world leaders that the U.S. has the attention span and money to focus on the Asia-Pacific while grappling with a multitude of foreign and domestic crises. (AP)

Biden will be at APEC through Friday: He travels today to San Francisco, where he'll start with a campaign reception with Vice President Kamala Harris.

• Tomorrow, he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Biden will hold a press conference.
• On Thursday, he speaks to the APEC CEO Summit, and he and first lady Jill Biden will host a dinner for heads of delegation.
• On Friday, Biden will meet with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, then fly home.

Scoop: Inside Biden's delay on Indo-Pacific trade deal.

• APEC explainer

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Biden and Xi are meeting to get the US-China relationship back on better footing Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are in California for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and will hold one-on-one talks at Filoli Estate, a country house about 25 miles south of San Francisco, three senior administration officials said. The two leaders last spoke a year ago. Since then, already fraught ties between the two superpowers have been further strained. Read more.

Why this matters Both men are seeking to show the world that they are not locked in a winner-take-all faceoff with global implications, despite being economic competitors. Their relationship has been increasingly defined by differences over export controls, Taiwan and the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe.   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 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.   Xi, meanwhile, is looking for assurances from Biden that the U.S. will not support Taiwan independence, start a new cold war or suppress China’s economic growth. He’s also keen to show the U.S. that China is still a good place to invest.

Related coverage ➤ China and the US pledge to step up climate efforts ahead of Biden-Xi summit What is the APEC summit and why does it matter? Biden and Xi are meeting at a lush and private Northern California estate