US President Joe Biden has said that restoring military communications with Beijing would constitute a successful meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
Both leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in San Francisco this week.
Washington and Beijing have sought to thaw tension with a series of high-profile visits from top officials in recent months following a year in which the relationship between the two superpowers became increasingly strained.
Those efforts will culminate in a Wednesday meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Xi, their second in-person meeting since the US President assumed office.
When asked how he would define a successful meeting, Mr Biden spoke of hopes for a broad improvement in communication.
“To get back on a normal course of correspondence, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another during a crisis, being able to make sure our military still have contact with one another,” he said.
Beijing cut communication between its military and the Pentagon after former US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in 2022.
The US believes that being in regular contact with China's military would help to keep peace in the Indo-Pacific region and avoid any miscommunication that could jeopardise that.
US seeking better relationship with China
Mr Biden also reiterated his administration's stance that the US is not seeking to decouple its economy from China's.
“What we're trying to do is change the relationship for the better,” he said.
The US President also said he believes a Chinese economy in which its citizens have well-paying jobs is a benefit for everyone.
“But I'm not going to continue to sustain support for a position where in order to invest in China, we have to turn over all our trade secrets,” he said.
Speaking at the Apec forum ahead of Mr Biden's visit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said responsibly managing the US-China economic relationship remains a key priority and that the forum could be used to “stabilise the relationship”.
“There is hard work ahead of us, but I believe our engagements here have moved us along the right path,” Ms Yellen said.
However, a report to Congress has found that the US-China rivalry is actually worsening despite efforts to improve relations.
“None of the flurry of visits and other diplomacy over the past year have resulted in any significant change of course by the regime,” the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission said in its annual report.
“The result of high-level meetings between the United States and China has been merely the promise of further meetings – that is, of more talk, rather than concrete actions.”
The commission said that China could be on the verge of its most serious economic crisis in four decades, with its economic growth remaining “anaemic”. It added that Beijing is still maintaining the “same aggressive course on foreign policy” that is has held for years.
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
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