Productive meeting sets clear direction for the 'right choice' for China and US at key crossroad

Ahead of the meeting between the two heads of state, the US president expressed, in public at least, low expectations of his first face-to-face talks in a year with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Before departing for San Francisco, asked about his yardstick for success, US President Joe Biden said, "To get back on a normal course of corresponding, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another when there's another crisis".

Their four hours of talks having produced agreement on that and more, the US leader was notably more upbeat about the meeting afterward.