There were moments during their private conversation when the two got into a challenging conversation, particularly over Taiwan, as revealed by their respective offices later. Xi warned the US against “playing with fire” and Biden cautioned China against trying to change the status quo with Taiwan, a territory that is recognized as China’s but that is maintaining a strong degree of autonomy from Beijing, with military support from the US.

Other than that, their meeting appeared to be cordial with both sides emphasizing the need to maintain communication in resolving their differences. As their strategic competition increasingly turns into head-to-head confrontation, these differences will only grow both in number and in intensity. Their meeting last week has helped to cool off the temperature in the Indo-Pacific, the war theatre for the ongoing cold war between the two big powers.

This is the first time that the two had talked since their virtual summit in March. A lot of things have been said or happened in those intervening months to suggest that not all is well between them. China has been busy building its military strength and expanding its sphere of influence via its massive economic program in the Indo-Pacific. The US has been building new military alliances on top of existing ones and is trying to match China’s economic program in the region.

Clearly, neither Biden nor Xi had backed off from their respective positions in all the topics they discussed, including Taiwan. Despite the tough words they often used in the meeting, they knew how far they could push and when to stop. We certainly hope that both men continue to exercise restraint as they resolve their differences in the coming months and years.

It remains to be seen whether US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is going ahead with her plan to visit Taiwan and how Beijing would respond if she did. Whatever happens this week, we hope both Xi and Biden continue to show statesmanship. The world expects no less from them.

In Europe, brinkmanship trumped statesmanship when Russia and the US, with its NATO allies, failed to resolve their differences through negotiations over the questions of security and national borders. Tensions were building up then just as they are now in the Indo-Pacific, but when they stopped talking, war erupted with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

Military analysts warned that something similar could happen between China and the US and its allies in this region, putting Taiwan as the Ukraine of the Indo-Pacific. But the region has one or two other potential flashpoints where a war could erupt, including in the South China Sea and the East China Sea, where tensions have been growing.  

Given the increasing rivalry and tension between the two powers, Biden and Xi should continue to maintain their line of communication and talk as frequently as needed to prevent a war from erupting. We hope they will have a fruitful and productive experience at their first in-person meeting, as well as Biden’s first time as US president, at the Group of 20 summit in Bali.