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having a command base there. the u.n. calls for extended humanitarian pauses as the situation in gaza continues to deteriorate. hello and welcome to world news america. joe biden and china's president xi jinping are meeting face-to-face for the first time in nearly a year on the sidelines of the apex summit in san francisco. the forum bring together almost every nation in the pacific rim for talks on trade and sustainability, but most of the attention in the run-up to the summit has been focused on today's meeting. it's the first time the two leaders have sat down together since the g 2022. while some things have changed, the core attention between the dominant u.s. and increasingly assertive china remains.

the two presidents struck a cautiously optimistic tone. pres. biden: there is no substitute to face-to-fa discussions. i always found our discussions straightforward and frank. mr. president, we have not always agreed, which has not surprised anyone, but our meetings have always been candid , straightforward, and useful. i have never doubt anything you told me. i value our conversation because i think it is paramount that you and i understand each other clearly leader to leader with no misconceptions or miscommunication. >> let's go to our reporter helena humphrey in san francisco. many contentious issues between the two presidents, president xi on his first visit since 2017. how is the relationship?

helena: to be frank, going into this meeting relations between china and the united states were at their lowest in four decades. nevertheless, we have seen him go into the meeting together and in the opening remarks trying to find some platitudes to get this conversation off to a good start. president biden saying it was a pleasure to host president xi and president xi saying surely the planet must be big enough for these two superpowers, saying conflict must be avoided, saying the consequences would be unbearable. these leaders would have to talk about significant conflicts right now, including the fact beijing has refused to condemn russia's continued invasion of ukraine, the fact the world is dealing with another conflict in the middle east, and there is the very thorny and contentious topic of taiwan, which is

heading into significant elections in 2024. president biden will likely be taking the message for the need for free and fair elections. caitríona: based on what you are saying, what if anything could come out of this meeting? helena: white house officials ve been keen to stress there may not necessarily be a huge breakthrough from these talks. the important thing is they are talking about talking once again. there could be some cooperation, military to military cooperation . if there were any kind of military altercation, there would be the ability to talk about that via phone, something that has been cut off for around a year. potential cooperation when it comes to artificial intelligence and putting guardrails in place when it comes to nuclear command . potentially cooperation on

climate. and fentanyl as well. so clearly a huge issue in this country. you can see it in san francisco. potentially curbs on the ports of the chemical used in the making of fentanyl when it arrives in mexico and comes to the united states. the message is the importance of restoring meaningful communication between these countries. caitríona: there are some protests around the summit. what can you tell us about what the atmosphere is like? >> demonstrations range from anti-apac demonstrations, pro-palestinian demonstrations, and anti-china demonstrations. i was caught up in some of the anti-apac demonstrations. it was not easy for the press to get through at some points but police have been deployed. with regards to the anti-china

protests and what some demonstrators are pointing to in terms of allegations of human rights abuses committed by the chinese government, it's unlikely president xi will be directly confronted because that summit is happening around half an hour from where i am now. caitríona: helena humphrey in san francisco, thank you very much. earlier my colleague spoke to the state department spokesperson. >> we saw the u.s. president say this bilateral meeting is about reestablishing contact between the countries, especially military to military. beyond that, what would be considered a success? >> the important thing to remember is we have long talked about taking steps to stabilize the relationship. we believe that is not just in the interest of our two countries but something the international community expects. when we talk aut key issues like addressing climate

cooperation and countering narcotics, these are things that will benefit the people of both of our countries, but also areas where the united states and china are important players and if we want to see progress, it requires both of our countries to work collaboratively. >> when it comes to military to military can occasion, what is the concern, that it could beer into conflict? >> we have long talked about how this is an area that could minimize conflict, creates the ability, create avenues for communication to address potential misunderstanding. >> if you look at what the white house national security advisor said, he said president biden is coming to this meeting in a position of economic strength. china's economy has slowed significantly. is there a sense in the u.s. that that may fertile ground for more agreement between these countries? >> i could not agree anymore with what sullivan said.

we believe president biden is coming to the summit from a position of strength. this has started the groundwork that began at the beginning of this administration of that bilateral meeting between secretary blinken and their counterparts, continued with engagement by secretary blinken in beijing. we continue to see high level travel from both sides of the pacific talking about important issues. >> one conflict expected to be discussed is the israel-gaza war. we have seen the u.s. say they know china has ties to iran. what concretely does china want to see the u.s. do vis-à-vis iran? >> we have been clear to any country as it relates to the conflict in the middle east that those who have a role to play, those who have influence or relationships with the many malign actors in the region, that they send a clear message

that the united states are not interested in seeing this conflict spread. no other malign actors, no terrorist groups should use this opportunity to further prey on israel. that is a message you saw secretary blinken carry throughout his travels in the reon and something echoed again to countries. >> the point is to get china to relay that message to iran? >> it is a message we are sharing with all countries, that we are not interested in seeing this conflict spread and any role you have to play in doing that needs to be done. >> we know taiwan remains a source of tension between the u.s. and china. we saw a report from reuters quoting a senior chinese official saying taiwan wants a one-on-one meeting with president biden. could that be considered or could it derail any sense of progress in the meeting between the two presidents? >> i am not going to speak about the president's schedule and will let our white house colleagues speak to that. the important thing to remember,

and this is something we have been consistent about and we know president biden will be consistent about, is the united states is not interested in changing the status quo. we continue to affm our one china policy. we are not for taiwan independence and that will continue to be the case. >> there are elections coming up in taiwan that are going to be watched closely. we have heard concern from the u.s. that they don't want to see chinesenterference. is that a message that will be directly related? >> during the summit? >> democracy and governance issues i am sure will come up. i will let the summit play out first. >> what would the usb relaying, what the u.s. reaction would be? >> in any election around the world, we have been clear about the fact that we want to see a free and fair election reflective of the will of the people participating. that's going to continue to be the case. that's what we want to see, any

country in the world we want to see free of malign influence, free of disinformation and things like that. >> one more big picture question on the u.s.-china relationship. we have seen president biden saying he sees china as a threat to the rules based international order the u.s. wants to prevail. we have also seen president biden and secretary blinken strengthening ties with partners in the region. can there really be a marke improvement in the relationship? >> when we talk about our approach to china, one thing you have heard president biden, secretary blinken, and others talk about is the idea of investing, aligning, and competing. aligning has been key. that is something secretary blinken has been working around the clock, engaging with partner countries to deepen our partnership with a country who shares our vision for a fre rules-based world around the

planet. that is something we are going to continue to work towards. caitríona: alongside the pressing geopolitical matters on the agenda, the biden administration wants mr. xi's cooperation on a matter closer to home, america's fentanyl epidemic. the usda claims chinese suppliers sell crucial chemicals to the mexican gangs who make much of the fentanyl entering the u.s. in exchange for a chinese crackdown, reuters reports the u.s. may lift sanctions on some entities linked to abuses against minority uighur population. i of today's population, chinese and american diplomats hammered out a major deal on climate change. both countries agreed to back a target to triple the world's renewable energy supply by 2030. america and china account for nearly half of the world's carbon emissions, so their endorsement of the target is seen as crucial to getting other nations to sign up.

the last time mr. xi and mr. biden meant was november 2022 on the sidelines at the g20 summit. that encounter took place after then u.s. house speaker nancy pelosi sparked chinese anger by making an official visit to taiwan. beijing and washington have spent the intervening year mending fences, with two of mr. biden's cabinet secretaries paying visits to china. israel says it is carrying out a precise and targeted operation against hamas inside gaza's largest hospital after it stormed the complex overnight. earlier, sources inside the hospital told the bbc that soldiers entered the main emergency department, soldiers going room to room questioning people and younger people were told to leave the hospital and strip to their underwear for inteogation. multiple news agencies report

israeli troops have withdrawn, which the bbc is working to verify. the israeli army says five hamas gunmen were killed in firefight outside as soldiers pported by tanks entered. israel accuses hamas of operating a command center underneath the hospital, which hamas denies. the u.s. says it has intelligence to support those claims. israel is also claing they found weapons in the mri room, sending out these weapons on the official israeli defense forces twitter, or x. the idf said in the tweet, watch as lieutenant colonel jonathan exposes the countless hamas weapons idf troops have uncovered in the hospital. however, the bbc has not been able to verify this video or these claims. i spoke to bbc correspondent and -- correspondent nick. what is the latest on the hospital? nick: the israeli troops say

they spent the day searching the hospital and have given an indication of what they say they found in the form of videos they released. you can see a room and there is a table and neatly laid out our ak-47s, magazines, ammunition, grenades, vests the soldiers would wear. one israeli soldier showed's us a bag and in it there is another gun, a grenade, and they say that is evidence hamas has been at the hospital. they say thismounts to an operational command center. the justification the israelis put forward for approaching the hospital in this way with this large military operation while so many people were still inside, the justification was hamas hathis large literary headquarters underneath the hospital. it has to be said so far the israelis have not put forth evidence to corroborate that particular claim.

caitríona: what has been the reaction to the idf operation inside the hospital? nick: hamas said it amounted to a war crime. they denied they have bunkers or any military base underneath the hospital. the world health organization said it was totally unacceptable , the military incursion by the israelis today. the united nations humanitarian chief said you couldn't be doing this. he said he was appalled by what had happened and he realized that sometimes in conflict there were some buildings that became military targets, but he said hospitals should not be part of a war zone and it was simply the case that civilian life should be protected and the rights of civilians should be key, rather than a wider military operation. caríona: has the idf give an indication as to what the next stage of its military campaign is going to be? nick: not specifically, but

benjamin netanyahu said this was a milestone in the campaign because he said people doubted the israelis would go into gaza, and they did. he said people doubted that they would reach gaza city and they did. finally, he said people doubted they would go into the al-shifa hospital, but they have done this. he said the strategy for his part continues, to hunt down hamas operatives wherever they may be, and also to secure the release of hostages. he said those are their two sacred missions. it could be by going into the hospital the israelis have found information they were looking for and they may present that to us in the days and weeks to come. it is hard to say what this operation does for bringing home the hostages, because for a lot of people in israel that is crucial, reuniting those people who were kidnapped with their loved ones. caitríona: thank you for that

date. as nick was explaining, the al-shifa hospital remains at the center of the conflict. the bbc spoke to a doctor who worked there and she sent this report. some images may be distressing. reporter: armed israeli troops on the grounds of causes largest hospital. israel released this footage of its soldiers bringing supplies into al-shifa, an image it wants to show. this hospital is at the heart of a propaganda war. one doctor trapped inside told me, rather than bringing help, israel should stop killing palestinians. >> we don't want anything from them. they have killed us continuously for the last 40 days. stop killing us.

reporter: the hamas run health ministry released its own video, showing a very different picture. with choking dust filling the corridors. doctors say this is the aftermath of an israeli strike. a hole is clearly visible. medical equipment in disarray. >> reporter: we are -- >> [translated] we are trying to savehis girl by giving oxygen manually. reporter: says one doctor, reduced to treating his patients in the corridor. israel says patients are not the targets. >> israel is at war with hamas, not civilians in gaza. the forces include medical teams and speakers who have undergone training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment, with the intent that no harm is caused to the

civilians being used by hamas as human shields. reporter: but doctors say civilians here have been badly harmed already by a lack of power, oxygen, even water. yesterday some had emergency surgery without a full anesthetic. and the most fragile are most at risk, these premature babies packed together for warmth. doctors tell us six have already died. israel says hamas operates below ground at al-shifa, hiding behind the innocent, and washington agrees. so far there is no proof and lives are hanging in the balance. bbc news, jerusalem. caitríona: the united nations is working toward solutions to the conflict.

it's humanitarian chief martin griffith said the, as he put it, carnage in gaza must not be allowed to continue. he added the world was watching new levels of horror every day. the u.n. security council voted for a resolution that called for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the gaza strip. there have been reports in recent days that israel and hamas could be nearing a deal to exchange dozens of hostages. there are 239 israelis and foreigners being held hostage in gaza, the youngest 10 months old. joe biden said a deal to release them was going to happen. our middle east correspondent reports. reporter: amid smoke, a glimpse at conditions inside the al-shifa hospital. with power cut due to the lack of fuel, patients are being moved. we can't verify when this footage from the hamas run

health ministry was filmed. overnight israel began what it says was a precise and targeted operation at gaza's biggest hospital. a witness described six tanks and dozens of commandos moving in. >> [inaudible] they called the hospital administrationnd told them we are planning -- one by one and would check everywhere within the hospital. it is continuous shooting from the tanks. reporter: since taking control, israeli forces say they brought baby food and medical supplies. they are searching the hospital, where they believe there is an underground tunnel network used as a hamas command center. hamas and medics deny that. the military insists there has been no friction with hospital staff. >> israel is at war with hamas,

not civilians in gaza. the idf forces include medical teams and arabic speakers who have undergone training to prepare for this complex and sensitive environment. reporter: arriving from egypt today for the first time since the war started, a delivery of diesel. this after the u.n. said yesterday it had to stop its aid distribution in gaza due to the lack of fuel. still supplies cannot enter for hospitals to run gaza as powerplant plant or water pumping stations. for now, rain, which had begun falling heavily, is a much-needed water source. but it is also a grim reminder of how, with the onset of winter , humanitarian conditions look set to worsen. yolande knell, bbc news, jerusalem. caitríona: you can go to our live page at bbc.com/news, where you can find headlines and

updates of all the news from israel and gaza. you can also get the latest from the bbc on various social media platforms. some important news from around the world. the state of new hampshire says it will hold its presidential primary on january 23, keeping the tradition of being first in the country. earlier democrats approved a new early primary schedule that would have elevated south carolina to the first slot, but new hampshire said they would not follow that. the south american nation guiana has asked the international court of justice to stop a referendum venezuela plans to hold over the status of a disputed region. for over a century venezuela has claimed the region, which accounts for two thirds of guyana's territory and has large oil reserves. deanna says the boat is an existential threat. our final story of the program involves birds and john oliver a bird was ground new zealand's

bird of the century after talkshow host john oliver intensely campaigned for it. the bird took 290,000 of those votes. john oliver elected billboards all over the world to support and started calling the bird board of the wings. i am caitríona perry. that's it for the moment. thank you for watching world news america. do take care. narrator: funding for this presentation of this program is provided by... narrator: financial services firm, raymd james. man: bdo. accountants and advisors. narrator: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation; pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪

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