President Biden asked Xi to wish his wife a happy birthday, which the Chinese leader admitted he had forgotten.
President Joe Biden reportedly asked Xi Jinping to pass on birthday wishes to his wife during a high stakes meeting on Wednesday, prompting the Chinese premier to admit he’d been working so hard that he’d forgotten about the upcoming occasion.
The claim was made by a U.S. official, according to notes produced by a reporter covering Biden’s activities as part of the White House press pool, and then shared with other journalists. Peng Liyuan turns 61 on November 20, the same day Biden will celebrate his 81st birthday.
Wednesday’s summit between Biden and Xi took place for several hours in a mansion near San Francisco, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, which both leaders are attending in the city.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, AFP correspondent Shaun Tandon wrote: «Biden winning with Xi’s wife. From U.S. official, per pool note: ‘Biden wished Xi’s wife a happy birthday — (she) and Biden share the same birthday. Xi said he was embarrassed, had been working so hard and had forgotten that his wife’s birthday was next week.
