Xi, Biden try to put ties back on track

Two sides reach consensus in key areas, commit to more exchanges after leaders meet

President Xi Jinping and United States President Joe Biden agreed on Monday to take concrete steps to put bilateral ties back on the track of stable development, as the two sides reached consensus on key issues such as climate change, trade, public health, agriculture and food security.

The two leaders had a meeting of about three hours on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali, their first sit-down since Biden took office in January 2021.

Both nations pledged to enable their diplomatic teams to maintain strategic communications and frequent consultations as well as dialogue and coordination on macroeconomic policies, economy and trade, according to a summary of the meeting.

They both highlighted the significance of people-to-people exchanges between China and the US, pledging to expand the exchanges in personnel in various areas.

In his opening remarks, Xi highlighted the joint responsibility he and Biden had in anchoring the future direction of bilateral relations and placing ties on the right track.

"I look forward to working with you, Mr President, to bring China-US relations back to the track of healthy and stable growth to the benefit of our two countries and the world as a whole," Xi said.