He Said, Xi Said

“I absolutely believe there need not be a new Cold War. I have met many times with Xi Jinping and we were candid and clear with one another across the board. I do not think there is any imminent attempt on the part of China to invade Taiwan.” Xi and Biden held their first in-person talks to cool off the cold war.

+ “The leaders of the U.S. and China are meeting amid high tension, but both have reason to lower the temperature.” Kevin Rudd in The Atlantic: What Biden and Xi Can Agree On.

+ “The Chinese hope that within the next five years or so they will be in a position where we cannot stop them from taking Taiwan. The way they see it, they are building up a sufficient capability to be able to execute an operation, and the tyranny of distance is so great that we wouldn’t be able to stop them.” Dexter Filkins in The New Yorker: A Dangerous Game Over Taiwan.