China’s foreign minister says road to San Francisco summit will not be smooth

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as they meet at the State Department in Washington, U.S., October 26, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger/File Photo © Thomson Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the “road to the San Francisco summit will not be a smooth one”, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, in an apparent reference to an expected meeting between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden.

Wang has met Biden and his top aides in Washington in recent days in preparation for the expected bilateral meeting on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit.

His remarks followed a discussion with members of the U.S. strategic community in Washington on Saturday, the ministry said in a statement.

Source: Reuters/Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom