Analysts See Modest Steps in US–China Relations, but Major Challenges Ahead After Biden–Xi Meeting

One analyst said he doesn’t ‘put a lot of faith’ in China to deliver on commitments Mr. Xi agreed to during the meeting.

U.S. President Joe Biden looks on during a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (not pictured) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' week in Woodside, Calif., on Nov. 15, 2023. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to some efforts to warm U.S.–China relations, but foreign policy analysts say the inroads they made were modest and there remains a wide diplomatic gulf between the two nations after last week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

According to a White House readout of their Nov. 15 meeting, President Biden and Mr. Xi agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communication between their respective countries and new bilateral efforts to combat international drug manufacturing and trafficking.