Washington, Oct 27 (AP) President Joe Biden met Friday with China's top diplomat, a conversation that's viewed as the precursor to a potential sit-down with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month.

The encounter was the latest in a series of high-level contacts between the two countries as they explore the possibility of stabilizing an increasingly tense relationship at a time of conflict in Ukraine and Israel.

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The White House said Biden “emphasized that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication,” and he “underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges.”

Biden had been widely expected to talk with Wang, a reciprocal action after Xi met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June.

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Beijing has yet to confirm if Xi will travel to San Francisco for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month. But Biden has said a meeting between the two leaders on the sidelines was possible. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)