US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met for talks Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay area, engaging for four hours. The discussions were described as “very direct,” featuring more back-and-forth dialogue than their previous meeting a year ago, according to a senior US official.
In the aftermath of the meeting, Biden highlighted agreements aimed at curbing fentanyl production and restoring military communication channels. He emphasized that both leaders had committed to communicating directly during disagreements, referring to the talks as “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we’ve had.” However, he reiterated his belief that Xi is a dictator.
According to Chinese state media, Xi urged the United States to “not scheme to suppress or contain China.” He also called for the US to halt its support for Taiwan and to back China’s “peaceful reunification.”
Here are some recent stories that made headlines over the past week, along with engaging visuals that depict these significant events.
A Palestinian child cries next to his mother after they were rushed to the Nasser Hospital following an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on Monday, November 13. Israel’s war with the Hamas militant group is now in its second month. Mohammed Salem/ReutersCaimans — reptiles in the same family as alligators — sit on the banks of the almost dried-up Bento Gomes River near Poconé, Brazil, on Wednesday, November 15. Wildfires have been burning in the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland. Andre Penner/APA family celebrates Diwali in Jersey City, New Jersey, on Sunday, November 12. Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important festivals in Hinduism. The holiday also has significance for Sikhs and Jains. Julian Machado RiggThe Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green, back right, puts Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock during an NBA game in San Francisco on Tuesday, November 14. Green was suspended five games for his role in the altercation. Jed Jacobsohn/APA portion of Interstate 10 in Los Angeles is mostly empty on Monday, November 13, after it was ravaged by a massive fire over the weekend. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the closed portion will be repaired and reopened in three to five weeks. Jae C. Hong/APMourners gather around the grave of Israeli reserve soldier Master Sgt. Raz Abulafia at the end of his funeral in Rishpon, Israel, on Tuesday, November 14. Abulafia, 27, was killed during Israel’s ground operation in Gaza. Ariel Schalit/APStudents walk on a football field to attend a prayer vigil in Zoarville, Ohio, on Tuesday, November 14. Six people, including three teenage students, were killed in a fiery, five-vehicle wreck while heading to a school band performance, officials said. Andrew Dolph/Times Reporter/APA woman collects marigold flowers on the outskirts of Jammu, India, ahead of the Diwali Festival on Thursday, November 9.Liverpool soccer star Luis Díaz, left, reunites with his father, Luis Manuel Díaz, in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Tuesday, November 14, days after his father was released by kidnappers. Colombia Football Federation/APA still from a video supplied by the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday, November 15, shows Israeli soldiers at the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza City. Conditions at the hospital, which has run out of fuel and is no longer considered operational, have deteriorated rapidly amid intense fighting. Israeli Defence Forces/ReutersProtesters push against the shields of anti-riot police officers as they demand the cancellation of a Coldplay concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday, November 15. Mas Agung Wilis/AFP/Getty Images
