NOV 14: US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are due to meet in Bali.
It comes at a time when relations between the two superpowers have soured.
Taiwan is expected to top their agenda - Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory, Taiwan sees itself as distinct.
Biden says the two leaders will "lay out what each of our red lines are" over Taiwan.
The leaders are in Indonesia for the G20 meeting, which starts on Tuesday.
The meeting will be their first in-person encounter since Mr Biden took office in 2020.
Biden is making conciliatory noises ahead of his meeting with Xi - but the backdrop is a marked chill in relations.
China faces an ongoing trade war with the US and a fresh attempt to deny China access to high-end American chip-making technology that, according to some commentators, is designed to slow China's rise "at any price".
Beijing argues that the chill is being driven by America's desire to maintain its position as the pre-eminent world power.
President Joe Biden's National Security Strategy defines Beijing as a bigger threat to the existing world order than Moscow. And Washington has begun to talk about a Chinese invasion of democratic Taiwan as an increasingly realistic prospect rather than a distant possibility.
This is a long way from the days when both US and Chinese leaders would declare that mutual enrichment would eventually outweigh ideological differences and tensions between an established superpower and a rising one. (with inputs from BBC)
JULY 29: President Joe Biden told his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, that the US strongly opposed any unilateral moves to change the island's status.
But he added that US policy on Taiwan had not changed.
Beijing said Mr Xi had told Mr Biden to abide by the one-China principle, warning him that "whoever plays with fire will get burnt".
Tensions over the issue have increased ahead of a rumoured plan for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan.
The state department says Ms Pelosi has not announced any travel, but China has warned of "serious consequences" if she were to proceed with such a visit.
Last week, Mr Biden told reporters "the military thinks it's not a good idea", but his White House has called Chinese rhetoric against any such trip "clearly unhelpful and not necessary".
Ms Pelosi, who is next in line to the presidency after the vice-president, would be the highest-ranking US politician to travel to Taiwan since 1997.
During Thursday's phone call, Mr Biden and Mr Xi also discussed arranging a possible face-to-face meeting, a senior Biden administration official said, describing the bilateral as "direct" and "honest".
When Mr Biden was US vice-president he hosted Mr Xi during a visit to the US by the Chinese leader in 2015, but they have not met in person during Mr Biden's presidency.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that must become a part of the country - and has not ruled out the possible use of force to achieve this.
Under the one-China policy, Washington does not recognise Taipei diplomatically. But the US does sell weapons to the democratically self-governed island so that it can defend itself.
The White House said that apart from Taiwan, the two leaders discussed a range of other issues, including climate change and health security.
The Biden administration has been considering whether to lift Trump-era tariffs on Chinese imports, arguing that such a move could ease soaring US inflation. But the US president did not discuss that issue with Mr Xi on Thursday, the senior US official said.
Analysts believe that both Joe Biden and Xi Jinping want to avoid an open conflict, the BBC's State Department Correspondent Barbara Plett Usher reports. But neither has made any attempt to alter their competing narratives, which was illustrated again by their contrasting statements about Thursday's call.
In a brief summary, the White House said it was part of efforts to "responsibly manage differences" and work together where "interests align".
In a much longer one, Beijing said many of their interests did align. But it blamed the US for the deteriorating relationship, criticising the Biden administration's view of China as a "primary rival" and Washington's "most serious long-term challenge."
Difficult to see anything positive
Much is being made of the fact that President Xi told President Biden that "those who play with fire will get burned".
It is a strong warning to America - but is not unprecedented. China's foreign ministry used exactly the same language when a US congressional delegation visited Taiwan earlier this year. The same phrase was used by China's defence ministry in a warning to Taiwan last year.
The fact that it has now been used by President Xi does give it more weight.
But it doesn't mean China is preparing military action against Taiwan, if - for example - Nancy Pelosi arrives here next week. It is instead telling America that if it continues down the current path, it will eventually lead to conflict.
It's difficult to see anything positive from this phone call in terms of the wider US-China relationship.
MARCH 24: This one is of the emergency variety.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is entering its fourth week with no end in sight, and the path ahead for the US-Europe alliance is far from clear.
Here's a look at five of the most pressing concerns as Mr Biden meets European leaders and allies in the days ahead.
A show of unity
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, the US has made special efforts to move only in concert with its allies. That sometimes meant holding off on actions - such as different forms of sanctions or military aid - until the rest of Nato was ready to take steps concurrently.
This was never easy given the disparate interests of the 30-nation alliance, but the early, dramatic days of Russia offensive created a sense of urgency that removed some traditional obstacles to consensus. As the war drags on - and the economic fallout from the violence and resulting allied response grows more pronounced - the potential for public discord within the alliance will increase.
The primary goal of Mr Biden's trip, then, is to be seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with America's allies (literally and figuratively) and to demonstrate that strengthened Nato resolve is not a temporary condition but the new normal in response to Russia's expansionist policies.
Refugee crisis
After meeting other leaders in Belgium, Mr Biden will travel to Poland for a bilateral meeting with President Andrzej Duda. Given the nation's position on Nato's eastern flank, the former Soviet satellite state has been given special attention by the US in the past few months, with visits from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Vice-President Kamala Harris.
Although topics of military aid to Ukraine and an increased Nato presence on Polish soil are sure to come up, US officials say the top issue for the meeting will be dealing with the flood of refugees that has been arriving at the Ukraine-Poland border since hostilities began.
Caring for and processing millions of refugees has put a considerable financial and logistical burdens on Poland and, if not handled competently, could ultimately lead to social unrest and economic instability.
Given Poland's geopolitical importance in the confrontation with Russia, ensuring the nation remains a reliable Nato member is a pressing US concern.
Military solutions
In the past few months the US and its allies have open the spigots of lethal military aid to the uniformed and volunteer Ukrainian forces holding off the Russian assault.
As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made clear recent in speeches to legislative bodies in Europe and North America, however, the aid so far has not been enough. He says Ukraine needs more sophisticated anti-air systems as well as jet fighters capable of "closing the skies" over Ukraine to Russian warplanes.
While the US has promised to provide more advanced long-range air defense capabilities, that's easier said than done. As seen with the friction between the US and Poland over the proposed but now shelved effort to supply Ukraine with Polish-owned Soviet-era jets, there are concerns over the kinds of anti-air support that would generate a Russian response against Nato, the logistics of getting weapons into Ukrainian hands and how to replace the weapons that are transferred.
The US is currently engaged in discussions with Nato members Slovakia and Turkey to move their anti-air systems over to Ukraine, but it will take a more deft touch than was displayed with Poland to accomplish it. If Mr Biden can pull this off while he's in Europe, it would be a notable success.
A sanctions roadmap
The US and its allies promised that they would impose unprecedented, debilitating economic sanctions on Russia if it were to invade Ukraine. After some early fits and starts, that's exactly what the allies have done. The Russian economy, its stock market and its currency have been staggered by the allied punishments, which include trade restrictions, financial isolation, limits on energy exports and targeted sanctions on Russian political and business leaders.
Severe as the restrictions may be, however, they have not deterred Russia from continuing its all-out assault. While western allies insist that the pain of the current sanctions will increase as time goes by, there is growing pressure on US and European leaders to find new ways of punishing Russian aggression that they can announce during Mr Biden's meetings this week.
Some proposals include new sanctions on oligarchs and politicians, greater restrictions on Russian energy exports and the kinds of technology that is imported to Russia.
None of these seem likely to produce a dramatic new impact on the Russian economy, but sometimes the perception of continued action is as important as the actions themselves.
The China question
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin had a warm meeting in Beijing during February's Winter Olympics, where they described a friendship between their nations that had "no limits". If that translates into ongoing Chinese economic and military support for Russia in the months ahead, it could undermine everything the US and its European allies are trying to do in Ukraine.
Last week, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met his Chinese counterpart in Rome, followed by a nearly two-hour phone call between Mr Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The US can't act alone here, however. Both America and Europe will need to make concerted, co-ordinated efforts to convince China to keep its distance from Russia and, if possible, be more vocal in its denunciations of Russia's infringement on Ukrainian territorial sovereignty. China's recent backing of Russian participation in the upcoming G20 economic summit suggests the task will not be easy.
Like the US, Europe is a key market for Chinese goods - and the threat of US and European sanctions on China if it were to openly aid Russia is already weighing on the Chinese economy. Mr Biden has frequently spoken of how the world is in an era-defining conflict between democracies and autocracies - but pushing China and Russia into the same adversarial camp at the moment is a risky move.
President Joe Biden met with Germany’s new leader Monday and vowed the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline will be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine.
JAN 21: US President Joe Biden recently said that Russia will be held accountable if it invades Ukraine amid rising tensions between the two countries.
"Russia will be held accountable if it invades Ukraine. It is going to be a disaster for Russia if it invades Ukraine. Our partner and allies are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm to Russia and its economy," said the US President. He warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of significant economic consequences when such an incursion occurs. "He (Russian President Vladimir Putin) has never seen sanctions like the ones I have promised will be imposed if Russia further advances into Ukraine," said Biden. But he suggested a "minor incursion" would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion of the country.
Biden said that the level of punishment would depend on what Russia's invasion looks like. "It's one thing if it's a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do, et cetera," said Biden. "But if they actually do what they're capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine. And that our allies and partners are ready to impose severe cost and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy," he said. "I have already shipped over USD 600 million worth of sophisticated defence equipment to the Ukrainians. The cost of going into Ukraine in terms of physical loss of life for Russians is going to be heavy, real and consequential," Biden added The US expects that Putin will be moving his 100,000 troops after amassing them along the Ukraine border.
"I'm not so sure he is certain what he is going to do. My guess is he will move in. He has to do something," Biden said, describing a leader searching for relevance in a post-Soviet world. "He is trying to find his place in the world between China and the West."
Biden made the remarks at the formal news conference marking his first year in office.
WASHINGTON, August 15: Former US president Donald Trump slammed President Joe Biden for his handling of the Afghanistan situation saying that the Democrat leader had not followed his plan of withdrawing US-led international troops from the war-torn country.
In a statement released on Saturday, Trump said, "He ran out of Afghanistan instead of following the plan our administration left for him--a plan that protected our people and our property, and ensured the Taliban would never dream of taking our Embassy or providing a base for new attacks against America. The withdrawal would be guided by facts on the ground." "After I took out ISIS, I established a credible deterrent. That deterrent is now gone. The Taliban no longer has fear or respect for America or America's power," he added.
Trump said that it will be a disgrace when the Taliban raises their flag over America's Embassy in Kabul it will be a complete failure through weakness, incompetence, and total strategic incoherence.
As Taliban gained ground in all key cities except Kabul, Biden on Saturday authorised the deployment of additional 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, raising the number of American troops in the war-torn country to 5,000 to ensure a safe and orderly drawdown of personnel.
WASHINGTON, July 20: U.S. President Joe Biden discussed bilateral cooperation and regional issues with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday.
Before their bilateral meeting, Biden expressed gratitude to King Abdullah II for his "enduring and strategic relationship with the United States" and "vital leadership in the Middle East."
"We're going to continue to strengthen our bilateral cooperation," he added. According to a White House readout of their meeting, Biden reaffirmed his support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and respect for Jordan's special role as custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem.
"President Biden commended the important role Jordan plays in the wider stability of the region and welcomed the recent trilateral summit in Baghdad between Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt," said the readout.
The two leaders also discussed bilateral defense cooperation, the situation in Syria, and engagement between Jordan and Israel.
King Abdullah II is the first Arab leader to visit the White House since Biden took office. The Biden administration voiced support for his leadership during a royal rift in April.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday that all American adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by April 19.
Biden announced the new timetable after his visit to a vaccination site in Alexandria, Virginia, moving up his original deadline of May 1 by nearly two weeks.
Biden said that 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered within his first 75 days in office, in line with a stated goal of 200 million shots by his 100th day in office.
He urged Americans to continue to practice pandemic safety measures, saying the country is not "at the finish line yet" and may experience more "disease and misery" before July 4.
A few weeks ago, Biden called on states, tribes and territories to make all U.S. adults eligible for vaccination no later than May 1.
Biden has stressed that while the country is now vaccinating a record number of Americans, the battle against COVID-19 is "far from won" as cases are once again on the rise.
The country has seen a rise in new cases in 27 states, including cases from new and emerging COVID-19 variants. Currently, the seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases is about 61,000 cases a day, a 10 percent increase over the previous period, according to the latest data of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Biden has called on every governor, mayor and local leader to maintain -- and in some cases reinstate -- mask mandates.
Some states' governors have lifted requirements for masks and allowed businesses to reopen to full capacity against warnings from public health experts.
Highly contagious variants are rapidly spreading in the United States, threatening to outpace the vaccination efforts.
Last week, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said B.1.1.7, the variant first identified in Britain, is starting to become the predominant strain in many regions of the United States, accounting for 26 percent of COVID-19 cases circulating across the nation.
The country has recorded more than 17,000 infection cases of coronavirus variants as of Tuesday, according to the latest data of the CDC.
Among these cases, 16,275 cases were caused by B.1.1.7. There were 386 cases of a new strain initially discovered in South Africa, called B.1.351, and 356 cases of the P.1 strain first discovered in Brazil.
In addition, the B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants, two coronavirus strains first detected in California, are also being closely monitored by the CDC.
About 168 million COVID-19 vaccine shots have been administered as of Tuesday, while more than 219 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been distributed across the country, CDC data show.
