Bowen@G20: Xi-Biden handshake rekindles hopes for healthy China-US relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden met on Monday ahead of the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Bali, Indonesia.

All cameras trained on the face-to-face meeting between the two world leaders. In the conference room, Xi and Biden opened the meeting with a handshake, a moment that attracted global attention.

The meeting itself sent a positive message, reducing global tension in the current political climate. China-US relations have faced unprecedented challenges with ripple effects being felt in the Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world.

It is a commonly stated wish in the international community that China-US relations return to a normal path of sound and steady development. It’s also a historical responsibility that falls on the shoulders of both countries’ leaders.

During the meeting President Xi said the two countries should take history as a mirror and let it guide the future. US officials said ahead of the meeting that Biden hoped to set up "guardrails" in relationship with China and assess how to avoid "red lines" that could push the world's two largest economies into conflict.

The hope remains here in Bali that the US will work with China in a spirit of mutual respect and play a responsible role in safeguarding world stability and development.

Bowen reporting from Bali, Indonesia.

(Produced by Li Bowen, Liang Peiyu, Di Jingyuan, Chen Lidan and Han Xiaomeng)