Biden-Xi talks lead to little other than a promise to keep talking

President Biden said Wednesday that a four-hour discussion with President Xi Jinping of China had led to two major agreements: on curbing fentanyl production and on military-to-military communications.

But both US and Chinese accounts of their first meeting in a year indicated little progress has been made on the issues that have pushed the two nations to the brink of conflict.

After the talks and a brief walk with Mr Xi on the grounds of a mansion south of San Francisco, Mr Biden told reporters that the conversation between the two men had been “the most constructive and productive” since Mr Biden came to the office. However, the agreements they announced were modest and their most important agreements were to continue talking and answering the phone in times of crisis.

No formal set of discussions was established on any of the critical issues, barring the use of artificial intelligence in the command and control systems of their nuclear arsenals. Instead, Mr. Biden’s aides said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, would continue to talk to Wang Yi, China’s top foreign affairs official.

Mr. Biden went out of his way to show respect for Mr. Xi, greeting him at the entrance to Filoli, a century-old mansion with gardens that was chosen as a private venue for the leaders of the world’s two most critical military, technological and economic superpowers to talk. Mr Xi also sounded accommodating as he arrived, telling Mr Biden: “Planet Earth is big enough” for both superpowers. He told Mr Biden that their countries were very different but should be “fully able to rise above the differences”.

Those are the standard pleasantries of diplomatic meetings between the two countries, especially in recent months, as Chinese leaders have grown concerned about the flight of American investors from the country.

But at the end of a news conference Wednesday night, after Mr. Xi had left, Mr. Biden was asked whether he still considered Mr. Xi a dictator. Mr Biden had used the word earlier this year, much to China’s anger.

“Well, look, he is,” Mr. Biden said. “I mean, he is a dictator in the sense that he is a man who runs a country that is a communist country.”

Biden’s aides had worked in recent days to temper expectations for the meeting, even as they argued that China’s economic downturn has for the first time put a Chinese leader on his back foot in dealing with the United States . But according to US and Chinese accounts, the leaders largely repeated old talking points on Taiwan, even as Mr Xi expressed concerns that the island’s upcoming elections could lead to talks on independence – one of the ‘red lines’ that Chinese officials have . They could force them to take military action.

The leaders agreed to resume military-to-military communications, which China cut off after Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year when she was speaker of the House of Representatives. Such commitments to communicate — for transparency and to avoid clashes and crises — have been made before, and Mr. Biden argued that military channels should remain open to prevent potential clashes. It is unclear how Mr Xi responded.

They addressed the issue of fentanyl, a powerful drug that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Mr. Biden later described the outlines of an agreement that would require Beijing to regulate components of fentanyl. But China has made similar commitments before.

The two men also discussed the technology race between their countries, which is at the heart of their increasingly bitter competition. Mr Xi complained about escalating US export restrictions on advanced computer chips, which are fundamental to China’s technological ambitions. This includes the development of advanced weapons, surveillance products and artificial intelligence programs.

Mr Xi claimed that Mr Biden’s real goal was to strangle China’s industrial competitiveness, a senior administration official said. Mr. Biden pushed back, the official said, saying he would not provide any technology that China could use for military purposes.

“We have a competitive relationship, China and the United States,” Biden said at his press conference. “But it is my responsibility to make this rational and manageable so that it does not lead to conflict. That’s what it’s all about for me. That’s what this is about. To find a place where we can come together and find common interests.”

In fact, there are far fewer areas of cooperation than a few years ago, when meetings between Chinese leaders and US presidents often led to joint action. There was no discussion Wednesday about North Korea, whose arsenal is now far larger than it was in the era of U.S.-China cooperation, and Mr. Biden’s attempt to convince Mr. Xi to help moderate Iran’s influence yielded no immediate agreement.

The two leaders did not issue a joint statement. There seemed to have been only a brief discussion about the most aggressive actions that almost caused disaster: the dozens of Chinese interceptions of American planes that the US says are flying in international airspace, or the confrontations in disputed waters off the Philippines and the Philippines . South Chinese Ocean.

When Mr. Biden mentioned accelerated Chinese military activity around Taiwan since Ms. Pelosi’s visit, Mr. Xi responded by asking why the United States was arming the island and calling for an end to those arms sales. In fact, the US is likely to accelerate these sales, based on lessons learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr. Biden, in his account of his discussions, made no mention of China supplying technology — but not weapons — to Russia to prosecute that war. He also did not discuss China’s partnership with Russia, although he said a year ago he doubted whether it would flourish.

There was some discussion, aides say, about the rapid growth of China’s nuclear arsenal. But Xi’s government has refused to engage in nuclear arms control talks, insisting it must first reach parity with the United States and Russia’s stockpiles.

When Mr. Xi started the day by stopping at the Filoli estate, he arrived in an unmarked Chinese-made limousine. In somewhat stiff and carefully choreographed statements, he and Mr. Biden offered the usual assurances that they could accomplish much if they worked together, but hinted at murkier alternatives if they failed.

“For two great countries like China and the United States, turning their backs on each other is not an option,” said Xi, whose own private speeches to his party faithful and his generals have painted a portrait of two countries that may be heading for a clash. He added that conflicts and confrontations have “unbearable consequences for both sides.”

Mr. Biden frequently referred to previous meetings with Mr. Xi from 15 years ago, but he resisted the temptation to describe the two as old friends, something he did regularly. “I appreciate our conversation because I believe it is of the utmost importance that you and I understand each other clearly,” he said, “from leader to leader, without misunderstandings or miscommunication.”

“We must ensure that competition does not lead to conflict,” he said.

The interactions between the two leaders at Filoli had been carefully planned for months. Senior Chinese officials had discussed them in meetings with Mr. Biden’s most trusted aides, including Mr. Sullivan and Antony J. Blinken, the secretary of state. Both men sat at the boardroom-style table located in the estate’s ballroom, with Mr. Biden flanked by Mr. Blinken and Janet L. Yellen, the Treasury secretary.

Mr. Xi arrived at a rare moment of apparent weakness. After decades of explosive growth, China’s economy has slowed. Later Wednesday, he met with top U.S. executives, calling for boosting investment in China, which has begun to decline. That’s partly because of China’s weaker economic prospects, but also because the country has started prosecuting companies that release Chinese economic data or conduct due diligence on the performance of Chinese companies before outsiders invest.