The Big Takeaways From the Biden-Xi APEC Meeting

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at the results of U.S.-China APEC talks, Gaza’s communications blackout, and Turkey postponing Sweden’s NATO bid.

APEC Faceoff

What happens when the two most powerful global leaders hold face-to-face talks for the first time in a year? On Wednesday, the world tuned in to find out as U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the Filoli estate outside of San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Biden praised Wednesday’s sessions, calling them “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had” since he took office in 2021. Xi reiterated those sentiments, saying “Planet Earth is big enough” for both superpowers.

Here are the top three biggest wins and losses from the meeting.

The Wins

Ahead of the event, Biden said his administration’s primary goal was to improve bilateral relations by reopening communication channels between the two countries’ militaries. If you define the summit’s success by that measurement alone, then the Biden-Xi showdown produced a major win. Both sides agreed to reestablish military-to-military channels to bolster transparency and avoid potentially dangerous miscalculations. These avenues were initially closed in August 2022 following then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

Another significant area of collaboration centered on curbing fentanyl production. China agreed to regulate exports of components used to make the opioid, which Biden hopes will decrease drug trafficking in the United States. However, Beijing has made these promises before with little follow-through—both in 2016 with then-U.S. President Barack Obama and in 2018 with then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

And in a surprise announcement late Wednesday, Xi hinted that China may lend new pandas to the United States after recalling the three furry friends at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo this month. Pandas have long been symbolic of U.S.-China relations, with this year’s loss of them being a sign of record-high tensions. But with Xi suggesting that panda diplomacy may still be in the cards after all, Biden is hoping that U.S.-China relations are on the up.

The Losses

Biden and Xi struggled to find common ground on numerous geopolitical flash points, with Biden going so far as to call Xi a “dictator” after their talks concluded. The two leaders failed to discuss growing North Korean aggression, disagreed on the importance of limiting Iran’s influence, and remained at odds over Taiwan as the country prepares for presidential elections in January.

Biden and Xi also failed to create a forum to discuss limiting the use of artificial intelligence in connection with autonomous weapons systems and nuclear arsenals. Beijing remains wary of efforts to limit its nuclear arsenal, and Washington refuses to consider downgrading its own nuclear stockpile while Pyongyang and Tehran continue their force posturing. However, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he will continue to pursue AI talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the coming weeks.

The United States also refused to lift export restrictions on advanced computer chips, which China has argued hinders its industry ambitions. Beijing wants the semiconductor material to develop advanced weaponry, surveillance tools, and AI systems. But Biden reiterated that the United States will not remove sanctions on supplies that could help Beijing’s military.

Today’s Most Read

• Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now by Aaron David Miller
• What America’s Top China Commission Is Worried About by Rishi Iyengar
• Mahmoud Abbas’s Last Chance Has Finally Arrived by Anchal Vohra

What We’re Following

Lack of fuel. The Gaza Strip faced a “total communication blackout” on Thursday, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), citing the region’s lack of fuel. Paltel, Gaza’s primary telecommunications provider, said it was forced to cut services due to fuel insufficiency, and staff at the region’s largest hospitals warned that emergency generators are already running out of power. “It is outrageous that humanitarian agencies have been reduced to begging for fuel,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, blaming the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for deliberately attempting to “strangle our operation.”

The cuts came as Israeli forces said they had taken “operational control” of Gaza City’s harbor on Thursday in an effort to secure total IDF authority over northern Gaza. According to a statement on X, the Israeli military said Hamas was using the port as a “training facility” to plan and execute attacks. It also said Israeli troops destroyed numerous tunnel shafts being used by Hamas militants in the area.

Pausing NATO talks. Turkish parliamentarians suspended debate on Sweden’s NATO membership bid until a later date on Thursday after failing to reach a decision. It is unclear when Turkey’s foreign affairs committee will resume accession talks. But lawmakers blamed a lack of clarity for the extension, saying talks with Stockholm had not “matured” enough.

Turkey is one of two holdouts stopping Sweden from joining the military alliance. Ankara has pointed to Stockholm’s alleged leniency with Kurdish separatists for its hesitancy. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his objection to Sweden’s bid last month and agreed to send it to parliament for ratification, carving a path forward for the Nordic nation. Once Turkey’s parliament approves Sweden’s NATO application, Hungary is also expected to accept the bid.

Blocked deployment. Kenya’s parliament approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti on Thursday to help quell rampant gang violence in the country. However, the East African nation’s high court opposed the decision mere hours later by extending orders that block the stationing until a new legal ruling is issued next year. This is the second time the country’s top court has blocked the planned deployment.

Kenya is set to lead a multinational, U.N.-backed force to restore order and security to Port-au-Prince. Gangs control more than 80 percent of the nation’s capital, forcing thousands of Haitians to flee escalating violence.

Odds and Ends

Eleven days, more than $2,000, and 6,250 hair clips later, a Nigerian wigmaker set a new record for the longest handmade wig. On Tuesday, the Guinness Book of World Records awarded Helen Williams for her 1,152-foot, 5-inch hair piece, which she displayed across a highway connecting Lagos to Abeokuta, Nigeria. “This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me,” Williams said.