After Putin meeting, White House now looking to 'engage' with China's Xi Jinping

A meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin now under his belt, President Biden is considering holding talks with China's Xi Jinping.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday told reporters that what Biden has said "about there being no substitute for leader-level dialogue as a central part of why he held the summit with Putin yesterday also applies to China and to President Xi Jinping. He will look for opportunities to engage with President Xi going forward."

There's nothing on the books now, but Sullivan said "soon enough, we will sit down to work out the right modality for the two presidents to engage. Now, it could be a phone call, it could be a meeting on the margins of an international — another international summit, it could be something else." Both Biden and Xi are expected to attend a meeting of the G20 leaders in October.

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On Sunday, G7 leaders — pressed by Biden — issued a communique that demanded China investigate the origins of COVID-19 and called on the country to respect the rights of the Uighurs and preserve Hong Kong's freedoms.