On November 16, Zhou Bo, senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy and a China Forum expert, gave an interview to the BBC on the meeting between President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden.

The resumption of dialogue between the two presidents has sent a very positive signal, said Zhou. Given the narrowing gap between China and the US in terms of military power in the Western Pacific and tensions on South China Sea and Taiwan, it is vital to keep the dialogue going because neither side wants conflict.

The meeting will, to some extent, have a deescalating effect on the Taiwan question, and avoiding conflict is a common interest for both sides, said Zhou.

In addition, the two countries also have overlapping interests as well as room for cooperation in the Middle East, added Zhou. Both sides support the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and can work together to solve the Iranian nuclear issue.