World Economic Forum president: Biden, Chinese president may meet in May in Singapore

The World Economic Forum’s president on Friday suggested that members of President Biden’s administration could meet with Chinese officials at the international organization’s May meeting in Singapore. 

According to Reuters, Borge Brende said while speaking in a virtual dialogue with Singapore’s prime minister that “the special annual meeting could be a place where you could see the new Biden administration and China meet.”

“Singapore has had very close ties with the U.S. but also worked very well with China,” added Brende, who previously served as Norway’s minister of foreign affairs. 

Neither the U.S. nor China has indicated whether they will send officials to the May 25-28 event, which was moved from its usual location of Davos, Switzerland, due to concerns on the rapid spread of coronavirus infections across Europe. 

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Friday, “It cannot possibly be too late for the U.S. and China to reset the tone of their interactions, and avert a clash between them.” 

“The new U.S. administration is an opportunity to steer the relationship towards safer waters,” he added, according to Reuters. 

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment on the suggested meeting between the Biden administration and its Chinese counterparts. 

Tensions between the U.S. and China escalated under former President Trump’s administration, including with the ongoing U.S.-China trade war over tariffs and Trump’s criticism of China’s early handling of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as national security officials and experts, have labeled China as the biggest national security threat to the U.S. and the world order, pushing the Biden administration to take a tough stance on Beijing. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the administration would seek to confront China on key issues while also aiming for cooperation on shared interests such as climate change. 

“It’s not a secret that the relationship between the United States and China is arguably the most important relationship that we have in the world going forward,” Blinken said in his first press conference as secretary of State.