The Presidents of the United States, Joe Bidenand from China, Xi Jinpinglanded in San Francisco on Tuesday, where they will face each other on Wednesday an expected meeting taking place at a time of great friction between the two countries.

Biden arrived shortly after noon in the US west coast city where he will chair the annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), and was received by California Governor Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat.

The governor also welcomed Xi, who boarded the presidential plane a few hours after Biden. The Chinese president was also received by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The meeting between Biden and Xi, the first in a year, is considered crucial to iron out differences and keep the two superpowers’ rivalry in check.

In the port city of San Francisco, Biden will lead the annual summit of the Pacific bloc’s 21 economiesthat moves 60% of the world economy.

Earlier on Tuesday, Biden said the United States is not trying to distance itself from China, but rather wants a better relationship.

“We are not trying to separate ourselves from China. What we’re trying to do is change the relationship for the better.“Biden told White House reporters before leaving for San Francisco.

Asked about his expectations for the much-anticipated meeting, he said he wanted “to return to a normal rhythm of correspondence, where we can answer the phone and talk when there is a crisis; ensure that our [fuerzas armadas] “They still keep in touch with each other.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the media that both presidents “They have known each other very well for a long time, they can be frank and direct with each other”.

Biden “wants to ensure that we manage this very important bilateral relationship in the most responsible way,” he added.

The United States and China are locked in fierce competition for economic and technological dominance, as well as for diplomatic influence.

The two superpowers went through a tense phase at the beginning of this year after a Chinese balloon flew over American territory.

With underlying issues that need to be resolved, especially regarding Taiwanan area that China claims as its own and does not rule out dominating it even by force, the tone has softened somewhat since the summer and diplomatic contacts have resumed, especially in preparation for the face-to-face meeting on Thursday.

Other topics on the agenda are the war Ukraine and the conflict between them Israel and Hamas.

Washington strongly supports Ukraine and Israel, both diplomatically and militarily. China, in turn, is allied with both Russia and Iran, which supports Hamas. (JO)