Washington, United States: President Joe Biden will hold meetings with the heads of Egypt, Cambodia, and Indonesia during an upcoming trip to North Africa and Asia to demonstrate American commitment to issues like climate change and to make clear Washington’s commitment to containing China’s growing global influence.
Biden’s tour would include meetings of ASEAN and the Group of 20 industrialised nations in Cambodia and Indonesia, as well as an international climate summit in Egypt, according to top administration sources, quoted by Reuters.
According to the authorities, Biden will start his trip by flying to Egypt to attend the COP27 United Nations climate change summit on Friday. There, he will discuss American efforts to reduce emissions and meet in private with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
It will begin two days after the US midterm elections which will determine whether Democrats keep their congressional majorities.
Officials from the administration were unable to confirm whether Biden will meet separately with Xi Jinping, the president of China, who is expected to attend the summit. Since Biden assumed office in January 2021, the two governments have been working to set up what would be the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders.
Biden has said he has no plans to meet with Putin should the latter attend the summit, but has left open the possibility of a conversation if Putin wants to discuss a deal to free Americans incarcerated in Russia.
Similarly the president has no plans to meet with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Biden is reported to be not happy with the Saudi Crown Prince after the OPEC+ cartel cut production months after Biden’s July meeting with Mohammed bin Salman.