Biden and Xi meet amid economic and military tensions.

Politics|Biden and Xi conscionable amid economical and subject tensions.

• Nov. 15, 2021Updated 8:50 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON — President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China met successful a virtual acme connected Monday evening arsenic the United States seeks to prosecute successful what the medication calls “intense competition” with China portion preventing superior conflict.

The meeting, which began soon earlier 8 p.m. Eastern, was expected to past much than 3 hours.

Since becoming president, Mr. Biden had antecedently spoken doubly with Mr. Xi, but they person not met successful idiosyncratic this year. Administration officials said the virtual gathering was meant to reassure some sides that misunderstandings and miscommunications would not pb to unintended clashes.

A elder U.S. authoritative told reporters connected Sunday that the president would stress the request to support “communication lines open” arsenic the 2 countries face disagreements implicit issues similar the aboriginal of Taiwan, the militarization of the South China Sea and cybersecurity.

Mr. Biden has repeatedly suggested that it should beryllium imaginable to debar progressive subject engagement with China, adjacent arsenic the United States engages successful contention with Beijing and continues to face the Chinese enactment connected respective important issues.

But the call, which was initiated astatine Mr. Biden’s request, reflected his administration’s heavy interest that the chances of keeping struggle astatine bay mightiness beryllium diminishing.

Members of Mr. Biden’s squad were guarded astir what topics helium intended to rise with Mr. Xi. The elder medication official, who spoke connected the information of anonymity to preview the meeting, broadly outlined a fewer of the issues that were apt to travel up.

The authoritative said Mr. Biden planned to code respective points of disagreement, including China’s quality rights abuses, America’s committedness to defending Taiwan, China’s enactment of its state-based industries and its policies regarding cybertechnologies.

Also connected the docket were areas successful which Chinese and American interests appeared to beryllium aligned, including efforts to combat planetary warming. But the medication authoritative said Mr. Biden would marque wide to Mr. Xi that moving to forestall clime alteration was not a “favor” to the United States, but alternatively a determination by China to enactment successful its ain champion interests.

It was unclear whether Mr. Xi intended to rise different issues, specified arsenic U.S. tariffs connected Chinese goods oregon the caller U.S. woody to supply atomic submarines to Australia. The elder authoritative said Mr. Biden was not readying to rise those topics unless Mr. Xi mentioned them.

The authoritative declined to accidental whether the 2 leaders would sermon the anticipation of U.S. practice astatine the 2022 Winter Olympics, which volition beryllium held successful Beijing successful February.

Biden medication officials person said they believe the U.S.-China narration is successful a caller phase that is much dynamic and analyzable than it has been successful years past. But it remains unclear however Mr. Biden volition effort to execute his goals erstwhile erstwhile administrations tried and failed to marque bully connected akin agendas.

President Barack Obama tried a akin balancing enactment with the Chinese, securing a committedness from Mr. Xi to debar militarizing the South China Sea — a menace to planetary question done the country — and to trim cyberconflicts betwixt the 2 countries.

Since then, China has built up its subject beingness successful the South China Sea, and cyberclashes person intensified.