Xi also agreed to mechanisms that would address potential military miscalculations and agreed to forums for the two sides to present their concerns. The president said the agreement from China to reduce precursor chemicals for fentanyl would “save lives” and said he appreciated Xi’s commitment on the issue. The US will watch closely to see if China follows up on the commitments made in the summit. That’s what I’m all about,” Biden said afterward.īiden said China agreed to go after companies who produce precursor chemicals to fentanyl, the powerful narcotic that has fueled a drug crisis in the United States. “My responsibility is to make this rational and manageable, so it doesn’t result in conflict.

The primary objective for the talks appeared to be the restoration of channels of communication, principally through the military, to avoid the type of miscommunication or miscalculation US officials fear could lead to open conflict Ahead of the talks, US officials were careful to manage expectations, saying they did not expect a long list of outcomes or even a joint leaders’ statement, as is customary after such summits. “That’s where I am.”īiden had aimed to use the meeting to put the US-China relationship on steadier footing after months of tension between the two superpowers. “Trust but verify, as the old saying goes,” he said.

During his news conference following the summit, Biden summed up his approach to the Chinese leader. The results on fentanyl and military communication were expected ahead of the talks, and amount to important progress in improving the still-tense relationship between Washington and Beijing. Yet departing the summit following a news conference, Biden said he still considered Xi a dictator, despite the progress they’d achieved over the course of their meeting. US President Joe Biden emerged Wednesday from four hours of talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping confident the fraught US-China relationship was improving, touting agreements on curbing fentanyl production and restoring military communication while still acknowledging that deep strains remain.īiden said he and Xi had each agreed to pick up the phone and talk during periods of disagreement, and called the talks “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”

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