US President Joe Biden and his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping spent some 4 hours collectively on Wednesday of their first face-to-face assembly in a yr.
As they convened on the Filoli Property in northern California, the 2 leaders had been aiming to make some headway in rebuilding ties strained over a complete host of points – from commerce to Taiwan, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the pandemic.
Biden talked of “actual progress” after the assembly, the place talks continued over a lunch of ravioli, hen and broccolini, and through a stroll across the property’s manicured gardens.
China’s state media described a “candid and in-depth alternate of views”.
Listed here are 5 takeaways from the talks:
Navy and private communication
In in all probability probably the most substantive end result of the talks, the 2 leaders agreed to renew navy contacts that China severed after the then Speaker of the Home of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022.
In keeping with the Pentagon’s most up-to-date report on China’s navy energy, Beijing had “denied, cancelled or ignored” military-to-military communications and conferences with the Pentagon, which raised “the chance of an operational incident or miscalculation spiralling into disaster or battle”.
The Biden-Xi settlement signifies that US Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin will have the ability to converse to his Chinese language counterpart as soon as somebody is called to the job, a senior US official informed reporters, and that related engagements can be potential up and down the navy chain of command.
The Pentagon welcomed the transfer and stated it was key to avoiding inadvertent battle.
“Sustaining open traces of communication between our two militaries is important to keep away from misunderstandings and miscalculations that might result in disaster or battle,” a Pentagon spokesperson stated.
The US president also emphasised the importance of open communications between the two presidents.
“He and I agreed that each one of us can pick up the phone call directly, and we’ll be heard immediately,” Biden told reporters after the meeting.
Biden and Xi have had a long working relationship, dating from when they were both vice presidents.
“It was 12 years ago,” Xi said in brief public remarks. “I still remember our interactions very vividly, and it always gives me a lot of thoughts.”
Biden also emphasised the length of their relationship and the value of those interactions.
“We haven’t always agreed, which was not a surprise to anyone, but our meetings have always been candid, straightforward and useful,” Biden said.
Taiwan
According to China’s state broadcaster, the island of Taiwan was a key area of discussion for Xi.
Beijing claims the self-ruled democracy as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of the island.
The United States, on the other hand, while maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Beijing, follows a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on Taiwan and is the island’s main source of weapons.
A US official described the talks as “clear-headed” and “not heated” with Biden chiding China over its massive military build-up around the island and declaring the US was committed to continuing to help Taiwan defend itself.
For his part, Xi insisted that the island was part of China.
“The US side should … stop arming Taiwan, and support China’s peaceful reunification,” Xi told Biden, according to China’s Foreign Ministry. “China will realise reunification, and this is unstoppable.”
Taiwan is one of China’s so-called “red lines” in discussions and it has reacted angrily to visits by US and other Western politicians, as well as to overseas engagements by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her deputy William Lai.
Lai is currently the frontrunner in elections due in January, and during Wednesday’s talks, Biden urged China to respect Taiwan’s electoral process.
Economic issues
The economy – both at home and abroad – was the other main priority for Xi, according to state media.
As they began their talks, Xi noted that a lot had happened since the two men last met in Bali.
“The world has emerged from the COVID pandemic but is still under its tremendous impacts. The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish,” he said.
Describing the US-China relationship as “the most important bilateral relationship in the world”, Xi said he and Biden “shoulder heavy responsibilities” and that they could not turn their backs on each other.
China’s recovery from the pandemic has been hampered by its growing debt and an ageing population, but it has also been affected by sanctions and US export controls for sensitive equipment.
“Stifling China’s technological progress is nothing but a move to contain China’s high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development,” a readout from the Chinese side quoted Xi as saying. “China’s development and growth, driven by its own inherent logic, will not be stopped by external forces.”
The two leaders also spoke about developments in artificial intelligence (AI).
Here, the senior US official said both sides were “very much focused” on practices regarding AI that could be dangerous or destabilising, but not ready for any mutual declaration.
Fentanyl
There was progress in efforts to tackle the production of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of drug overdoses in the US.

Xi agreed to assist stem the export of chemical compounds associated to the manufacturing of illicit fentanyl and go after particular chemical corporations.
“It’s going to save lots of lives, and I appreciated President Xi’s dedication on this subject,” Biden stated at a press convention after his assembly.
Biden added he would “belief however confirm” Chinese language actions on the drug.
Center East
Xi and Biden touched on the continued warfare in Gaza because the UN Safety Council handed a decision calling for prolonged humanitarian “pauses” within the besieged enclave.
Greater than 11,300 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli assaults on the territory since October 7 when the armed group Hamas led a shock assault on Israel killing greater than 1,200 individuals and taking greater than 200 others captive.
Amid considerations concerning the potential for a regional escalation, Biden requested China to weigh in with Iran, which backs Hamas, and urge it to keep away from steps that might be seen as provocative, in accordance with the US official.