This virtual interview, the third since the inauguration of the American president in January, comes as disputes accumulate between Washington and Beijing, each of which is firm on their positions on Taiwan, but also on trade or even human rights.
This is, according to a senior White House official, "to ensure that competition does not lead to conflict".
"We want to build common safeguards to avoid any error in judgment and any misunderstanding," said this source, who did not specify what these "safeguards" would be.
Scheduled for Monday at 7:45 pm Washington time (00:45 GMT Tuesday), the conversation could last "a few hours", estimated this American source.
But both Washington and Beijing have tried to temper expectations.
The meeting is not expected to lead to "concrete results," the White House warned.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Monday that the two leaders "will have a frank, deep and comprehensive exchange of views" on their bilateral relations, at a time when relations between the two powers are at "a critical crossroads".
Beijing wishes to work with Washington to "put Sino-US relations back on the right path of healthy and stable development," he said.
Joe Biden has never hidden his desire to meet the Chinese president in flesh and blood, as the latter strengthens his grip on the regime every day, and has criticized his absence at recent major international meetings.
Uighur, Tibetan, Hong Kong and Taiwanese protesters in front of the White House on November 14, 2021, before the virtual summit between Xi Jinping and Joe Biden Nicholas Kamm AFP
But he must be satisfied with a new virtual meeting with Mr. Xi who has not left China for nearly two years, citing health reasons.
If after Mr. Biden came to power, the tone changed from the outbursts of the Trump era, in fact, the relationship between Washington and Beijing remains extremely tense.
Taiwan
It is in particular the fate of Taiwan which currently concentrates the tensions, with another lively exchange on Saturday between the American Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi.
The former "expressed concern about the continued military, diplomatic and economic pressure of the People's Republic of China against Taiwan."
The second warned the United States against any action that could be interpreted as support for "Taiwan independence", considered by Beijing as a rebel province to be subdued, especially at a time when China wants to extend and assert its influence. regional.
The senior White House official told him about China's "coercive and provocative behavior" towards Taiwan as one of the contentious issues, which Joe Biden intends to address in a "direct and frank" manner.
It is, according to this source, in particular economic practices considered aggressive of China, and violations of human rights.
Washington stresses, however, that the two great powers could cooperate in certain areas, such as the fight against climate change.
Chinese President Xi Jinping appears on a TV screen in a Beijing shopping mall, November 11, 2021 Noel Celis AFP / Archives
This virtual meeting is being held at a time when Xi Jinping continues to strengthen his grip on the regime, as evidenced by the adoption on Thursday by the Chinese Communist Party of a text which, under the pretext of celebrating the party's centenary, above all marks the praise of the president.
This text calls "the whole Party, the army and the people to unite more closely around the Central Committee of which Xi Jinping forms the heart".
This has certainly "cemented even further" the concentration of power in the hands of the Chinese president, according to senior administration official Biden.
"In our mind, this further underscores the need for an exchange at the highest level."
© 2021 AFP