Biden, Xi Agree to Increase Military Communications to Avoid ‘Accidents’

President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his administration secured agreements with China to resume military communications and combat fentanyl after his first in-person meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a year.

Biden during a press conference characterized the talks as “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.”

Both leaders acknowledged that the relationship between the countries is competitive but said there are areas where they can come together and avoid conflict.

“I’m still of the view that major country competition is not the prevailing trend of current times and cannot solve the problems facing China and the United States or the world at large,” Xi said. “Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed. And one country’s success is an opportunity for the other.”

The two leaders are attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco this week as public communications between the U.S. and China appear to be ramping up.

They spent several hours together on Wednesday with the day’s events including a welcome ceremony, expanded bilateral, lunch and a walk on the property. And they walked away with tangible results.

Biden said that restarting military-to-military contact between the two countries will prevent “accidents” and “misunderstandings.” The increased communication comes after tensions soared when the U.S. shot down a Chinese spy balloon in February.

“Vital miscalculations on either side can cause real, real trouble with a country like China – or any other major country,” Biden said.

Biden also announced an agreement whereby China would work to curb fentanyl production.

“So today with this new understanding, we’re taking action to significantly reduce the flow of precursor chemicals and pill presses from China to the Western Hemisphere,” Biden said. “It’s going to save lives, and I appreciate President Xi’s commitment on this issue.”

Additionally, the State Department this week announced that the U.S. and China pledged to triple renewable energy capacity globally by 2030.

Biden said that he and his counterpart in Beijing exchanged views on a range of global issues, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war. During the press conference, Biden added that he believes the ultimate answer to the war in Gaza is a two-state solution.

He added that he “stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits” but that he continued to support a “One China” policy and “that’s not going to change.”

While Biden and XI made progress on certain topics, the two countries remain competitors that assuredly won’t reach common ground on others. Biden mentioned he raised concerns about China’s human rights and tension between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Overall, though, Biden presented an optimistic view about future relations with China.

“In the months ahead, we’re going to continue to preserve and pursue high level diplomacy with the [People’s Republic of China] in both directions to keep the lines of communication open, including between President Xi and me,” Biden said. “He and I agreed that each one of us could pick up the phone, call directly and be heard immediately.”