Biden, Chinese leader Xi commit to tackle a number of critical issues together

On Wednesday, President Biden met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in San Francisco.

The long-anticipated meeting between the two most powerful world leaders yielded productive commitments between the United States and China on a number of key issues, including military dialogue, climate change, and the fentanyl crisis.

The characteristically frosty relationship between the U.S. and China chilled further after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi traveled to Taiwan in 2022, a diplomatic faux pas which infuriated Xi, who sees the island as Chinese territory despite its decades of de facto independence.

After the San Francisco summit, Biden reported that the United States would resume regular contact with China on military issues. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will frequently engage with his Chinese counterpart as soon as Xi fills the position.

Crucially, this development reduces the risk of international incidents in the Pacific between the two nations.

On fentanyl, Biden persuaded Xi to crack down on the precursor chemicals and molecules used to create the powerful substance. In 2019, China’s actions towards fentanyl were important but incomplete without addressing its constituent components.

Given that the number of fentanyl deaths nearly quadrupled between 2016 and 2021, this action—should Xi follow through—should meaningfully address that tragic trend.

Additionally, Xi promised to work with the United States to address the present threat of climate change ahead of an upcoming United Nations summit on the matter—as well as the looming challenge of artificial intelligence.