Biden and China’s Xi speak for a second time amid rising tensions

President Biden spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the second time as president, the White House said Thursday, amid rising tensions over human rights, military ambitions, trade and the coronavirus.

The call Thursday evening in Washington yielded no specific announcements, including about whether the two leaders would meet in person for a much-anticipated summit this fall. It was meant to underscore Biden’s view that the United States and China are now the defining global competitors but can cooperate where each finds it useful, a senior U.S. official said before the call.