On Nov. 14, US President Joseph Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in person for the first since Biden took office. According to an official White House report, the two leaders “spoke candidly” about various issues and national priorities, with Taiwan, nuclear weapons, and global conflicts being the major topics discussed.

“This was a historic meeting for sure,” Jeffrey You (11), GovPol student, said. “US-China tensions have been worsening for a while, and this was a small breath of fresh air, although it did not really smooth things out much.”

This is the first major development in US-China relations since former US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, sparking China’s military demonstrations. In this meeting, both leaders agreed to “competition, not conflict,” and to limit tensions moving forward.

Further unresolved matters will be discussed when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes a follow-up visit to China sometime in 2023.