"There is enough space on Earth for both our countries to be successful." Xi Jinping meets with Joe Biden for the first time in a year

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met with U.S. President Joe Biden at a historic estate south of San Francisco, where they are holding bilateral talks. Later, the Chinese leader will attend the APEC summit.

The format of the bilateral summit was carefully planned and agreed upon. Biden, as the one who receives a foreign guest, was the first to leave the mansion and greeted Xi Jinping, who walked along a red carpet, accompanied by marines and flags of both countries.

According to the Chinese leader, the US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world and should be viewed in a broader context.

Biden, for his part, said that China and the United States have differences, but must always maintain a dialog.

"We haven't always agreed, which is not surprising, but our meetings have always been frank, direct, and helpful," Biden said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart. "I value our dialogue because I think it's very important that we have a clear understanding of each other, leader to leader, without any misunderstanding or misunderstanding.

"We must ensure that competition does not escalate into conflict, and we must manage that competition responsibly," Biden added.

In response, Xi Jinping said that "for both sides, conflict and confrontation have unacceptable consequences."

"Two great countries like China and the United States cannot afford to turn their backs on each other. There is enough space on planet Earth for these two countries to be successful," the Chinese leader said.

Analysts believe that it is unrealistic to expect a significant improvement in relations between the United States and China. The main thing is that they do not deteriorate.

We should not expect any loud statements or big deals from this meeting, but it is very important.

Most likely, President Biden will want China to take advantage of its growing influence on Iran and dissuade Tehran from rash actions in the Middle East that could spark a full-scale war.

It is possible that Biden will also try to dissuade China from providing military assistance to Russia, which is waging war with Ukraine and is in dire need of arms and ammunition.

But, of course, Taiwan remains the most controversial issue. Beijing cut off military contacts with Washington after the visit to the island by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and then American intelligence reported that China was building up its nuclear capabilities.

If the US president convinces his Chinese counterpart to resume contacts at the general level, it will help reduce tensions and could prevent unpleasant incidents in the future.

Background. Read more about this in Mind's article "Tiger sneaks up, dragon hides: what to expect from Joe Biden's meeting with Xi Jinping in San Francisco".