Biden meets with China's President Xi

President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to take steps to curb fentanyl production and restore military communication during their summit Wednesday, a senior US official told CNN.

Biden also made clear China should lean on Iran to avoid steps that would aggravate the tense situation in the Middle East. The leaders also stressed that they wanted to stabilize their countries’ relationship after months of heightened tension.

The results, which were expected ahead of the talks, amount to progress in improving the still-tense US-China relationship but they stopped short of a joint statement or other declaration of cooperation.

The senior US official said China agreed to go after companies who produce precursor chemicals to fentanyl, the powerful narcotic that has fueled a drug crisis in the United States. The US will watch closely to see if China follows up on the commitments made in the summit.

Xi also agreed to mechanisms that would address potential military miscalculations and agreed to forums for the two sides to present their concerns.

Senior administration officials said leading up to Wednesday’s summit that their Chinese counterparts had been “reluctant” over the past few months to agree to re-establishing military-to-military communications.

But it was an issue that Biden himself -- and his top advisers like Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin -- raised in “nearly every conversation we’ve had with the Chinese,” as the US tried to underscore that it was “absolutely critical” that this channel be re-opened.

US officials said that the Chinese spy balloon incident, in particular, underscored the importance of military-to-military communications.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden agreed to resume high-level military communication and cooperate on anti-drug crackdown following their hours-long summit, Chinese state media reported.

The leaders agreed to “resume high-level communication between the two militaries on the basis of equality and respect,” according to a readout released by China’s state agency Xinhua. The two sides will also resume meetings between their defense ministries and maritime military security consultations and start talks between leaders of theatre commands.

The two sides also agreed to establish an anti-drug working group to carry out anti-drug cooperation, as well as an intergovernmental dialogue on artificial intelligence, Xinhua reported.

The two leaders also pledge to further increase flights early next year and expand exchanges in education, international students, and the culture, sports and business sectors, according to Xinhua.

US President Joe Biden's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping has concluded, the White House said.

The two presidents began their meeting just after 2 p.m. ET. Following opening remarks, several sessions and a working lunch, the two leaders closed out with a walk around the historic estate south of San Francisco.

Biden told reporters during the walk that the talks were going "well," and added on social media that "real progress" was made.

Biden is expected to hold a solo press conference in the 7 p.m. ET hour.

US President Joe Biden said on social media he has made "real progress" in his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Biden and Xi have been meeting for hours at a historic estate south of San Francisco.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a walk following their working lunch on Wednesday.

The men walked very slowly side-by-side down a brick walkway, each wearing their suit jackets. 

They did not have a translator with them and did not appear in heavy conversation, aside from Biden pointing out something in the trees.

Biden waved with both hands to reporters. When asked how talks were going, he made a thumbs-up sign and said: “Well.”

Biden is expected to hold a solo press conference once the summit has concluded. The two presidents began their meeting just after 2 p.m. ET.

President Joe Biden’s news conference Wednesday in the Bay Area will mark the president’s 32nd news conference since taking office, according to CNN's analysis. 

It is rare for Biden to hold a solo news conference: This marks his 14th solo news conference since taking office, and the third solo news conference of 2023. He has held 18 joint news conferences alongside another world leader. 

The average length of Biden’s solo news conferences is 38 minutes – the longest was 111 minutes and shortest was 16 minutes.

Former President Donald Trump, by contrast, held 88 news conferences overall during his presidency, and at the same point in his presidency, he had held 54 news conferences, per an analysis of University of California-Santa Barbara data. Former President Barack Obama held 163 news conferences and had held 63 at this point in his presidency. And former President George W. Bush held 210 news conferences during his presidency, and 62 at this point in his presidency. 

Recent presidents who had held fewer news conferences at this point include former President Ronald Reagan, at 20, and former President Richard Nixon, at 22. 

President Joe Biden is now participating in working lunch with Chinese President Xi Jinping following the first session of their summit, which lasted nearly two hours.

The two leaders are joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, along with two Chinese officials, according to the White House.

The White House also shared the lunch menu, which includes:

The first session of the summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended after a little more than two hours.

The leaders still have two more closed-press sessions before the summit concludes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored the importance of cooperation ahead of his meeting with US President Joe Biden on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in San Francisco. 

Xi addressed the "grave problems" that have existed in the world economy since the two leaders last met a year ago in Bali. 

"The world has emerged from the Covid pandemic but is still under its tremendous impacts. The global economy is recovering, but its momentum remains sluggish," Xi said. 

Xi called the US-China relationship "the most important bilateral relationship in the world." 

The Chinese leader said that the relationship "should develop in a way that benefits our two people and fulfills our responsibility for human progress."

Xi noted that historically the US-China relationship has "never been smooth sailing." 

"Yet it has kept moving forward amid twists and turns," Xi said.

Xi remarked that the leaders have a responsibility to work together for the betterment of their countries and the rest of the world. 

"We shoulder heavy responsibilities for the two peoples, for the world, and for history," Xi said.