Biden and Xi Work to Repair Relations Between US and China During Meeting

President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in San Francisco.

Details: The two leaders reached agreements on a pair of topics. Xi agreed to clamp down on Chinese companies manufacturing and exporting chemicals used to produce fentanyl, contributing to the opioid crisis in the U.S. Xi and Biden also agreed to reestablish military-to-military communications in order to reduce the risk of miscommunications or accidents sparking conflicts.

Key Quotes: Following the meeting, Biden stated on social media, “I value the conversation I had today with President Xi because I think it's paramount that we understand each other clearly, leader to leader. There are critical global challenges that demand our joint leadership. And today, we made real progress.” During the meeting, Xi reportedly stated, “For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation have terrible consequences for both sides. The world at large is big enough for the two countries to succeed.”

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum agreed that relations between the U.S. and China are at historic lows. The Wall Street Journal (Center bias) reported the meeting “did little to resolve the deep frictions tearing at the countries.” The Washington Times (Lean Right bias) reported relations are at “their lowest level in decades.” Axios (Lean Left bias) reported relations “took a nosedive” last summer.