Biden says talks with Xi will be success if communications normalized

U.S. President Joe Biden made the case on Tuesday that his forthcoming talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping should be considered a success if the two powers can normalize communication channels including for use in urgent situations.

“To get back on a normal course of corresponding, being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another if there’s a crisis, being able to make sure our militaries still have contact with one another,” Biden told reporters at the White House, when asked what would be necessary to rate Wednesday’s talks successful.

“We’re not trying to decouple from China, but...