Biden trade chief says Xi meeting sends powerful signal to world

The face-to-face meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping was a powerful signal to the rest of the world that both leaders can manage ties, according to US trade chief Katherine Tai.

“It’s a really good thing, its really important,” that the talks took place, Tai told the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Tuesday.

“The body language was very powerful from the photos of the two leaders greeting each other and standing together. That’s a powerful signal to the rest of the world in terms of two leaders who are capable of managing a tremendously complex relationship.”

Tai said one of the most important takeaways from the meeting is that both leaders have tasked their most senior officials to continue to communicate.

Tai spoke after Biden met Xi on Monday night at a seaside resort in Bali for talks that exceeded low expectations. The US said the two sides would resume cooperation on issues including climate change and food security, and that Biden and Xi jointly chastised the Kremlin for loose talk of nuclear war over Ukraine.

The New Economy Forum is being organized by Bloomberg Media Group, a division of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.