President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a summit with the goal of stabilizing the US-China relationship after a period of tension. The main aim was to restore communication channels, especially military ones, to prevent misunderstandings that could lead to conflict.
Biden expressed that a successful outcome would be returning to a “normal course” with China, which includes regular communication and military contact. Over the past year, US officials have been working to reestablish diplomatic channels with China, with several high-level meetings taking place.
Despite the personal relationship between Biden and Xi, US-China relations have deteriorated significantly. This was exacerbated when China cut off military communication with the US after a visit to Taiwan by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Efforts to restore this communication were further complicated by an incident involving a Chinese spy balloon.
The summit was held at a historic estate south of San Francisco, with the location only revealed a few hours before for security reasons. The last face-to-face meeting between Biden and Xi was a year ago in Bali, with the aim of establishing a baseline for the relationship. However, it did not result in any significant outcomes.
