Biden and Xi Are To Meet Next Week

November 11, 2023 4:14 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping prepare to meet at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, basic information has remained guarded. That could ratchet up the pressure on how each side negotiates at their Wednesday meeting, down to the smallest detail. Any encounter involving the U.S. president and a foreign leader requires managing tricky logistics. But few cultures are more attuned to etiquette than the Chinese. And Washington and Beijing’s often-conflicting interests may make things all the more delicate. Haggling may include everything from who enters the room first, to what kind of flowers are present, to if a meal is served.