Chinese President Xi Jinping made his first visit to the United States in six years this week, striking agreements with U.S. President Joe Biden that include resuming military communications and stopping the flow of chemicals that go into manufacturing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid drug. While the White House seemed to gain important concessions from the Chinese delegation, the moves also helped stabilize the U.S.-China relationship—for now—giving Xi room to focus on improving his country’s economy.
To examine the meeting more closely, FP’s Ravi Agrawal spoke with three China watchers: Evan Medeiros, who served as a China director in the National Security Council under President Barack Obama; Cindy Yu, an assistant editor at the Spectator and host of its Chinese Whispers podcast; and James Palmer, a deputy editor at FP and author of China Brief.
Evan Medeiros on whether the Biden administration got what it wanted from China after the bilateral meeting between the countries’ leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco.
Cindy Yu, an assistant editor at the Spectator, on what Chinese President Xi Jinping got from his American counterpart at the APEC summit.
James Palmer, author of FP’s China Brief newsletter, on how China’s economic slowdown played a role in the willingness of China to work toward reconciling its relationship with the United States.
How will the bilateral meeting between Xi and U.S. President Joe Biden impact the trajectory of the U.S. business community in China?
Medeiros offers insights into how more hawkish representatives of the U.S. Congress are looking at the APEC summit.
Evan S. Medeiros
Professor and Penner family chair in Asia studies, Georgetown University
Evan S. Medeiros is a senior fellow for foreign policy at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis. He is a professor and Penner family chair in Asia studies in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and has published several books and articles on East Asia, U.S.-China relations, and China’s foreign and national security policies. He also served as China Director in the National Security Council under President Barack Obama
Cindy Yu
Assistant editor, The Spectator
Cindy Yu is an assistant editor of The Spectator and presenter of the Chinese Whispers podcast.
James Palmer
Deputy editor, Foreign Policy
James Palmer is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy and writes FP’s weekly China Brief newsletter. Palmer is the author of The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia and The Death of Mao: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Birth of the New China. He won the Shiva Naipaul prize for travel writing in 2003.
Host
Ravi Agrawal
Editor in chief, Foreign Policy
Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy, the host of FP Live, and a regular world affairs analyst on TV and radio. Before joining FP in 2018, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. He is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy.
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