U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday that it is still his expectation that he will speak with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, this week.
Biden, who is recovering from COVID-19, told reporters watching him participate virtually in an economic meeting that the expected call will still take place by the end of the week.
Asked whether the long-awaited call would take place this week, Biden said: "That's my expectation, but I'll let you know when that gets set up."
Any potential conversation between the two presidents would come as ties between the two global superpowers continue to deteriorate over issues including Taiwan, Ukraine and technology sector competition.
Biden told reporters about the plan during a meeting with tech CEOs and labor leaders to discuss legislation to address the global microchip shortage, which the Democrat attended virtually as he isolates at the White House while recovering from Covid-19.
The chip shortage, exacerbated by coronavirus lockdowns in China, is hitting industries that rely on them for goods from cars to smartphones, and pushing inflation higher.
The Biden administration has framed efforts to boost semiconductor production in the United States as an issue of competition with China, with the Senate expected to vote in the coming days on a funding bill to support the US tech industry's efforts to keep up.
Earlier Monday, Beijing blasted a potential trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan next month, warning the United States would "bear all responsibility for all serious consequences" if she goes to the self-ruling island -- a major exporter of semiconductors -- that China claims as part of its territory.
Pelosi has not confirmed a visit but told reporters last week it was "important for us to show support for Taiwan," while denying Congress was pushing independence.
Xi sent a sympathy message to Biden Friday over the US president's Covid infection, the two leaders' first public contact since their last virtual summit in March.
President Joe Biden said Monday he does not expect the United States suffer an economic downturn, although GDP figures due later this week may show the economy shrinking for a second consecutive quarter.
"We're not going to be in a recession in my view," Biden told reporters.
Citing strong employment figures, the president said he hoped instead for a soft landing where "we go from this rapid growth to steady growth."
Multiple US officials have downplayed rising recession fears, saying a downturn in the world's largest economy is unlikely given the very tight labor markets.
Recent figures suggest GDP might have fallen in the second quarter, following a 1.6 percent decline in the first three months of the year, but the consensus forecast among economists still calls for slight growth.
The first-quarter contraction was worse than expected and the first since 2020 when the pandemic was at its worst.
The economy, meanwhile, is bracing for the Federal Reserve to make its next move to fight inflation on Wednesday, likely by increasing interest rates by another three-quarters of a percentage point in an effort to slow demand.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has said it is "essential" to lower inflation, but stressed that the goal is to achieve that without derailing the US economy.
After a rapid economic recovery last year, Biden has seen his approval ratings plummet in recent months as American families have struggled to make ends meet amid surging inflation.
