Meeting in person in more than a year, US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached agreements to restore military-to-military communications, and begin expert discussions on the safety and risks of artificial intelligence.
"We're back to direct, open, clear communications," President Biden declared on Wednesday after their uncommon encounter with Chinese President Xi Jinping in California.
Biden stated that the two leaders had decided to have direct communication with one another.
Biden remarked at a news conference that poor communication was "how accidents happen" and that both presidents could now "pick up the phone and be directly heard immediately."
The pronouncements of the two leaders are also expected to have sound impact upon business leaders and investors who were waiting for guarantees from the U.S. and China of their economic ties.
And to this end, Biden’s words about his trust on Xi and translating words to actions from both sides matters most. Replying for a journalist’s query on Biden’s trust on Xi, “Trust but verify, as the old saying goes. That’s where I am,” Biden said.
Even if there were still a lot of differences between the two, Mr. Biden claimed that Xi had "just been straight". His statement said, "Some of the most constructive and productive discussions we've had" during the talks.
Speaking afterwards at a dinner with US business executives, Xi expressed candidly his desire to work toward improving ties with the US.
President Xi also indicated the the two agreed to sustain diplomatic and cooperative efforts.