U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese language President Xi Jinping agreed to revive direct military-to-military communications and to a deal to stem the move of fentanyl precursors out of China into america in talks Wednesday at a rustic property simply outdoors San Francisco.

The pair additionally reached a deal to start out talks on the regulation of synthetic intelligence, Biden stated after the assembly, earlier than reiterating a remark he made earlier this yr by which he described Xi as a “dictator.”

The three offers have been introduced after about 4 hours of direct talks – solely their second in-person since Biden took workplace – at Filoli, a rustic property outdoors San Francisco surrounded by 16 acres of gardens.

“We’re reassuming military-to-military contact,” Biden stated in a press convention after the talks, including the dearth of a direct line between the 2 international locations’ militaries over the previous three years was harmful.

“That’s how accidents occur. Misunderstandings,” he stated. “So we’re again to direct, open, clear communications on a direct foundation.”

Biden additionally stated Xi had agreed to crack down on the export from China of precursors for the artificial opioid fentanyl, which has been labeledthe largest killer of American adults aged 18 to 49. He stated it could “save lives” and that he appreciated Xi’s dedication to the problem.

However leaving the press convention, Biden was goaded right into a query about whether or not he stood by a remark he made in June calling Xi a “dictator,” which Beijing stated was “extraordinarily absurd and irresponsible.”

“Properly look, he’s,” Biden stated. “I imply, he’s a dictator within the sense that he’s the man who runs a rustic that’s a communist nation.”

Xi’s dinner

For Xi, who final visited america in April 2017, the journey is about shoring-up China’s struggling financial scenario by encouraging U.S. companies to proceed investing billions of {dollars} throughout the Pacific.

To that finish, the Chinese language president returned to downtown San Francisco after the talks with Biden to handle high U.S. enterprise leaders at a dinner hosted by the U.S.-China Enterprise Council.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo launched Xi to the just about 400 attendees, which included Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and Visa CEO Ryan McInerney, in accordance with Bloomberg.

Raimondo stated continued commerce progress with China was in U.S. pursuits, and that the 2 economies couldn’t be decoupled, even when the 2 powers are engaged in fierce geostrategic competitors.

“We now have a big, consequential, important, financial relationship with China that sustains over one million jobs right here in America,” Raimondo stated. “We wish to commerce with China. We would like strong commerce with China on a stage taking part in area, [trade] that’s reciprocal and that’s truthful.”

However she stated america wanted to limit sure items, similar to superior microchips, from export to China, to “defend our most delicate know-how, fairly frankly, so it could actually’t be used in opposition to us.”

Xi stated China had “no intention to problem america or to unseat it.” However he stated he typically struggled with “steer the enormous ship of China-U.S. relations away from hitting rocks and shoals” in a means that averted “getting disoriented” or “having a collision.”

“On this respect, the primary query for us is, are we adversaries or companions?” Xi stated. “That is the basic and overarching concern.

“If one sees the opposite facet as ‘a major competitor,’ ‘essentially the most consequential geopolitical problem’ and ‘a pacing risk,’ it is going to solely result in misinformed policymaking, misguided actions and undesirable outcomes. China is able to be a companion and pal of america.”

In obvious reference to Beijing’s long-held wishes to unite the mainland with the self-governing island of Taiwan, which he final yr stated might ultimately be executed via “use of power,” Xi additionally advised the U.S. enterprise leaders to not concern a battle began by China.

“I typically say that what the Chinese language folks oppose is battle. What they need is stability. And what they hope for is enduring world peace,” Xi stated. “The good rejuvenation of the Chinese language nation can’t be achieved and not using a peaceable and secure worldwide setting.”

‘Coexist in peace’

Biden and Xi in any other case appeared at pains to strike a conciliatory tone.

A senior White Home official, talking on situation of anonymity to discuss the talks, stated whereas U.S. officers would give Chinese language regulation enforcement time to make progress on fentanyl, Biden thought-about it essentially the most “central” and “vital” half for the American folks.

“We’re going to wish to see whether or not China continues to comply with up,” the official stated. In the end, he added, “the proof is within the pudding.”

Earlier, Biden greeted Xi with a heat handshake earlier than beginning talks.

“Properly, Mr. President, it’s good to see you once more,” Biden stated, including that there’s “no substitute to face-to-face discussions.” 

“It’s paramount that you just and I perceive one another clearly, leader-to-leader, with no misconceptions or miscommunication,” he stated. “We now have to make sure that competitors doesn’t veer into battle, and we’ve to handle it responsibly.”

Xi additionally struck a conciliatory tone, saying China and america ought to attempt to “coexist in peace” regardless of their variations.

“The China-U.S. relationship has by no means been clean crusing over the previous 50 years or extra, and it at all times faces issues of 1 sort or one other,” Xi stated. “But it has stored transferring ahead.”

“For 2 giant international locations like China and america, turning their again on one another is just not an possibility,” the Chinese language president added. “Planet Earth is large enough for the 2 international locations to succeed, and one nation’s success is a chance for the opposite.”

APEC 2023

Each Xi and Biden are in San Francisco for this yr’s Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation, or APEC, summit, which has been headlined by their plans to satisfy amid tense occasions for U.S.-China relations.

“What we’re attempting to do is change the connection for the higher,” Biden stated whereas leaving Washington on Tuesday, including he wished to assist “the Chinese language folks, who’re in bother proper now economically.”

A senior White Home official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the Biden-Xi summit forward of time, stated that the summit was of essential significance for repairing U.S.-China ties, at the same time as he cautioned that the connection was now largely certainly one of competing pursuits.

Xi’s accumulation of non-public energy throughout the Chinese language system of presidency “during the last a number of years” meant that lower-level diplomacy was typically not fruitful, the official stated, that means the direct talks have been taking up the next stage of significance than typical.

“Frankly, when you actually must do critical diplomacy, it has to happen on the very high,” he stated. “So the stakes actually simply couldn’t be increased.”