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Biden-Xi summit: A positive step in managing complex US-China ties

There was no reset but the San Francisco summit was a vital step to stabilise the relationship amid challenging times.

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Both the US and China considered the Nov 15 summit between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden a success.

Both the US and China considered the Nov 15 summit between President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a success.

PHOTO: REUTERS

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There is a cottage industry emerging of analyses on

the Biden-Xi summit in San Francisco.

Most of the writings fall into, for want of a better description, the glass half-full or the glass half-empty or, in some extreme cases, a glass totally empty school.

What meaning one makes of the four-hour meeting, the atmospherics around President Xi Jinping’s visit and other events depends a great deal on where one stands. The US-China relationship is too complex and complicated to be hastily unpacked and served with a dismissive attitude.

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