US President Joe Biden says there is a possibility that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet next month in San Francisco on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Biden responded to a question from a reporter at the White House on Friday, saying there is no such meeting set up, but "it is a possibility."

The meeting would be the first between the two leaders since their face-to-face summit in November last year in Indonesia.

The Washington Post on Thursday quoted senior administration officials as saying that "the White House has begun making plans for a November meeting in San Francisco" between Biden and Xi.

In late September, senior US and Chinese diplomatic officials held talks in Washington, apparently to prepare for a summit.

Officials in Washington and Beijing have agreed to continue dialogue, but talks have stalled on security issues.