China's xi wishes biden a 'speedy recovery' from covid

Pictured here is a news broadcast in China of President Xi Jinping during a virtual summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in November 2021. Kevin Frayer | Getty Images News | Getty Images

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping contacted U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday to wish the American leader a "speedy recovery" from Covid, according to state media. Biden

tested positive for Covid-19 and has "very mild symptoms," the White House said Thursday. The U.S. embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment on

the report. China's news agency Xinhua used "sends [a] message" to describe Xi's contact with Biden. Xi expressed his "deepest sympathies," according to a CNBC

translation of the Chinese state media report. The brief report did not mention whether the leaders communicated on other topics. On Wednesday, Biden told reporters at a briefing he expected

to speak with Xi within 10 days, but did not specify reasons or topics for a call. The two leaders last spoke in March, mostly about Russia's invasion of Ukraine. China has refused to

call the attack an invasion. _Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the official English language version of the state media report said Xi sent a message to Biden._