Page 82 - Joe Biden

US-China ties can easily veer towards conflict if not well managed: NSA

The United States-China could easily veer towards a conflict if it is not well managed, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has said ahead of the much-anticipated meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Biden and Xi are scheduled to meet in San Francisco on Wednesday on the sidelines of the APEC Leadership meeting. The White House is calling it a summit. Sullivan on Monday said the US president has the opportunity to engage, so do the rest of his team, on how they effectively manage peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. "Those are some of the issues that, through intense diplomacy, we have been able to manage," he said. "Then will look for opportunities to actually generate affirmative outcomes that deliver tangible progress for the American people in areas where our interests overlap. I mentioned, for example, the issue of fentanyl. "We're hoping to see some progress on that issue this coming week, and that could then open the

Biden-Xi meet: US lawmakers press for free access to South China Sea

US lawmakers have urged President Joe Biden to raise with Beijing the issue of illicit fentanyl trafficking, coercive environment for American businesses and stand up for the military's ability to freely operate in the South China Sea during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday. They also said Biden should be "adamant" that China "leans on Russia and Iran not to exacerbate the military crises happening around the world". Biden and Xi are scheduled to meet in San Francisco on Wednesday on the sidelines of the APEC Leadership meeting. The White House is calling it a summit. On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer listed out issues, including fentanyl trafficking and the coercive environment for US businesses in China, that he thought Biden should raise with Xi. "On the Israel-Gaza conflict in particular, we told President Xi that China needs to use its influence on Iran to stop them from acting in any way that would widen the conflict. China shoul

Biden-Xi meet: White House expects possible military communications revival

US officials expressed hope Monday that this week's highly anticipated face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will produce some concrete results, including the possible reestablishment of military communication between the two nations and a shared effort to combat illicit fentanyl trafficking. The two leaders will meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco. The Biden-Xi bilateral will be the marquee moment of the forum, which is dedicated to promoting trade, investment and economic development among nations around the Pacific Ocean. Biden and Xi have not spoken in a year. Their last meeting was at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia last fall. And since then, tensions between the two nations have grown following a series of events touched off by the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that had wafted across the US earlier this year. The frosty relationship between the two economic ...

Gaza hospital encircled by Israeli forces 'must be protected', says Biden

President Joe Biden Monday said that Gaza's largest hospital must be protected, and called for less intrusive action by Israeli forces. Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants has encircled the sprawling medical facility, Shifa Hospital, prompting thousands to flee. Shifa has been without electricity and water for three days, and gunfire and bombings outside the compound have made the situation more difficult. It is my hope and expectation that there will be less intrusive action, Biden said in the Oval Office. Battles between Israel and Hamas around hospitals forced thousands of Palestinians to flee from some of the last perceived safe places in northern Gaza, stranding critically wounded patients, including newborns, and their caregivers with dwindling supplies and no electricity, health officials said Monday. The Israeli military has urged Palestinians to flee south on foot through what it calls safe corridors. But its stated goal of separating civilians from

Tea and nickel on agenda as Biden hosts Indonesian President Widodo

President Joe Biden will host Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the White House on Monday, one day before the US leader leaves for San Francisco to attend a summit of Asian leaders. The two presidents will share an afternoon tea and meet with top advisers, according to senior administration officials who insisted on anonymity to preview the schedule. They will also talk about ways to expand the trade of critical minerals like nickel, which can be used to produce electric vehicle batteries. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of nickel. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said they will explore opportunities to enhance cooperation on the clean energy transition, advance economic prosperity, bolster regional peace and stability, and reinforce our people-to-people ties. Biden's meeting with Widodo comes shortly before he sits down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Indonesia is the world's third-large

Joe Biden sees hopeful signs for his reelection in Democrats' 2023 wins

Surrounded by dozens of Democratic donors at a glass art gallery space in Chicago last week, President Joe Biden urged them to look beyond negative poll numbers and feel assured their donations were not being wasted. Then Biden joked to the crowd: I could still screw up. The attendees at his campaign fundraiser laughed. Yet many Democrats are fearful there is a serious disconnect between the popularity of Biden's agenda and the man himself, as the president's approval ratings remain stubbornly low and voters continue to register concerns about his age. Some of those worries were tempered by the results of Tuesday's election, when Democrats romped to victory in Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Inside the White House, the Democrats' big night was a bright spot in an otherwise dim week as it grapples with the response to two wars and tries to minimise the president's flagging poll numbers. Just 38 per cent of adults approve of Biden's job performance, according to a November

Biden and Xi look for clarity in an increasingly difficult relationship

President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping have no shortage of difficult issues to discuss when they sit down for their first talks in a year, even if expectations are low that their meeting will lead to major breakthroughs. Each leader has clear objectives for the highly anticipated talks Wednesday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a meeting that comes after what's been a fractious year for the world's two biggest economies. Both Biden and Xi are looking to bring a greater measure of stability to a relationship that is being defined by differences over export controls, tensions over Taiwan, the wars in the Middle East and Europe, and more. A look at what each president is hoping to achieve during their talks: WHAT BIDEN WANTS The White House has made clear that the U.S.-China relationship is beyond the days where a meeting ends with a long list of announcements and agreements. Instead, Biden comes to San Francisco focused on managing the countries

Talks with Chinese finance chief laid groundwork for Biden-Xi meet: Yellen

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday that she and her Chinese counterpart agreed to work toward a healthy economic relationship, during two days of talks that she said helped lay the groundwork for a productive meeting next week between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Yellen said many disagreements remain between the two countries, but she and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng committed to working together on global challenges, from debt issues to climate change-related economic issues. And both countries, she said, welcome the objective of a healthy economic relationship that provides a level playing field for companies and workers in both countries and benefits the two peoples." She added that she plans to return to China next year after making her first trip there as treasury secretary in July. Biden and Xi will meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, the first engagement in a year between the

Biden, Xi to meet on Nov 15 for talks on talks on trade, Taiwan: Report

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Wednesday in California for talks on trade, Taiwan and managing fraught US-Chinese relations in the first engagement between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in nearly a year, Biden administration officials said. The White House has said for weeks that it anticipated Biden and Xi would meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, but negotiations went down to the eve of the gathering, which kicks off Saturday. The officials, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House, said Friday that the leaders would meet in the San Francisco Bay area but declined to offer further details because of security concerns. Thousands of protesters are expected to descend on San Francisco during the summit. The meeting is not expected to lead to many, if any, major announcements, and differences between the two powers certainly won't

US, Chinese ministers open talks to lay groundwork for Biden-Xi meeting

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her Chinese counterpart will meet in San Francisco on Thursday for two days of talks aimed at making progress on a slew of economic issues at a time when competition has markedly intensified between the two countries. Yellen's talks with Vice Premier He Lifeng are designed to help lay the groundwork for an expected meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, which would be their first engagement in nearly a year. The White House is not expecting the face-to-face meeting to result in major changes to the relationship between the two nations, according to a person familiar with the planning, although it hopes to see some signs of progress. Analysts say expectations should be kept low, given the competitive nature of the countries' relationship. Nicholas Szechenyi, deputy director for Asia at the Center for Strategic and Internationa

Democrats fend off Republican sweep in win for women's right to abortion

Going into the race, Republicans held a narrow majority in the House of Delegates and had ambitions of flipping the Senate

Hamas war: Amid US' push, Israel open to 'little pauses' in Gaza for aid

After more than a week of public pressure from the US for humanitarian pauses in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has allowed that his government might be open to only little pauses in its assault on Hamas. The Israeli leader sought to play down differences with his country's most vocal backer on the world stage at a time of rising scrutiny of the sharply rising civilian toll of fighting. Netanyahu spoke after President Joe Biden made a direct appeal to him nearly a month into the war seeking to rally support behind securing even limited relief for civilians in the spiralling conflict. The back-and-forth spotlighted the challenges facing Biden and his administration as they seek to manage what is emerging as one of the defining foreign policy crises of his presidency. The US thus far remains focused on keeping the fighting from exploding into a wider regional war and pushing for limited steps to alleviate civilian suffering. But it has remained steadfastly behind Is

Biden's AI executive order: Weapons to watermarks, pros and cons

US President Joe Biden recently signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to balance the needs of cutting-edge tech companies with national security and consumer >

Trump leads in 5 critical states, voters blast Biden over economy: Survey

Times/Siena poll: A majority of voters say Biden's policies have personally hurt them

India looks to host Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida in January Quad summit

The next Quad summit may take place in India around January 27 with New Delhi looking at hosting US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese for the in-person deliberations, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. India has already invited Biden to be the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 and the Quad summit could take place the next day if everything goes according to plan, they said. It is learnt that it could be inconvenient for India and the US if the summit is held after March and New Delhi has conveyed to three other member nations that it would like to host the Quad leaders in the later part of January. Japan and Australia have sent preliminary communication to New Delhi that they are fine with the proposed date for the summit, the people cited above said, adding that Washington has also sent positive signals. All the deliberations among the Quad countries are now focused on t

Biden will host Americas summit that focuses on supply chains, investment

President Joe Biden is gathering leaders from countries across the Americas on Friday in the US capital to discuss the tightening of supply chains and addressing migration issues. In a preview of the first Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders' Summit, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that the two-day event would be a once in a generation opportunity to shift more of the global supply chains to the Western Hemisphere. Kirby said the summit would also involve the shared migration challenge and the building of meaningful economic opportunity among the countries in the region. Friday's event was announced last year at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. The focus on trade comes as competition has intensified between the United States and China, the world's two largest economies. Biden has provided government incentives to build US infrastructure and for companies to construct new factories. But after the pandemic .

74 US dual nationals left Gaza Strip as Blinken goes to Mideast, says Biden

President Joe Biden said Thursday that 74 U.S. citizens with dual citizenship have left the Gaza Strip, announcing the development as he dispatched his top diplomat to the Middle East for consultation with Israeli and Jordanian leaders concerning the Israel-Hamas war. We got out today 74 American folks out that are dual citizens," Biden said in a brief exchange with reporters as he hosted Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader for an Oval Office meeting. The White House has previously said some 500 to 600 U.S. citizens had been trapped in Gaza since the start of the Oct. 7 Israel-Hamas war. Since then, the nearly four-week-old conflict continues to rage on with no end in sight. The administration said earlier this week that a handful of Americans were among dozens of dual citizens who were able to get out of the Strip where a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Biden made the announcement as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken set off for another frenzied trip to the Middle Eas

US President Biden calls for humanitarian 'pause' in Israel-Hamas war

President Joe Biden said he thought there should be a humanitarian pause in the Israel-Hamas war, after his campaign speech Wednesday evening was interrupted by a protester calling for a cease-fire. I think we need a pause, Biden said. The call was a subtle departure for Biden and top White House aides, who throughout the Mideast crisis have been steadfast in stating they will not dictate how the Israelis carry out their military operations in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. But the president has faced intensifying pressure from human rights groups, fellow world leaders and even liberal members of his own Democratic Party, who say that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza is collective punishment and that it is time for a cease-fire. In his comments, Biden was exerting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give Palestinians at least a brief reprieve from the relentless military operation that's left thousands dead and mired the 141-square-mile strip in a ..

Democrats fear that Biden's Israel-Hamas stance could cost him reelection

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that President Joe Biden's handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 election in a state he almost certainly can't afford to lose in his bid for reelection. The situation has prompted the White House to discuss ways to alleviate tensions with some of the state's prominent Democrats, including several who have been vocal critics of the president about the war. The message has been relayed. We've had calls with the White House. We've had calls with DNC officials, said Abraham Aiyash, the third-ranking Democrat in the state House of Representatives, referring to the Democratic National Committee. We've been clear in saying the humanity should matter, but if that is not a calculation that you're going to make in this moment, recognize that there will be electoral reverberations to this. Michigan was a critical component of the so-called blue wall

Biden and first lady will travel to Maine to mourn after mass shooting

President Joe Biden will travel to Maine later this week to mourn with the community of Lewiston after 18 people were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in state history, the White House said on Wednesday. Thirteen people were injured in the October 25 shootings at a bar and a bowling alley. Biden and first lady Jill Biden will go Friday to pay their respects to the victims, meet with first responders and others and will grieve with families and community members, the White House said in a statement. The alleged gunman, Robert Card, 40, was found dead of an apparent suicide after a dayslong manhunt that led officials to cancel school and order residents to stay indoors. Investigators have yet to establish a motive but have increasingly focused on the mental health of Card, who was a firearms instructor. Authorities said this week that Card's family had brought their concerns about his deteriorating mental health to the local sheriff five months before the deadly rampage. Card h