Xi tells Biden: ‘Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed’

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Good morning,

Here’s a new one: A cargo pilot unable to rein in an escaped horse on a plane was forced to return to the JFK airport.

The flight was set to land in Belgium, but the horse got out about 30-minutes after takeoff. To land, the plane had to dump 20 tons of fuel into the Atlantic Ocean.

The horse promised it wasn’t trying to stirrup trouble...

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

🗞 US-CHINA RELATIONSHIP HITS RESET

For the first time in more than a year, President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in person. In San Francisco Wednesday, the leaders stressed their desires to stabilize the countries’ relationship after months of heightened tensions.

The four-hour meeting produced some small, concrete results: the leaders agreed to take steps to curb fentanyl production and to restore military communication.

THE POST GAME PRESSER
Biden said the talks with Xi were “some of the most constructive and productive discussions we've had.”

U.S. and China's militaries have had a number of near-misses over the past year. After the pledge to renew communications, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet his Chinese counterpart when that person is named.
Biden and Xi also agreed China would curb the export (e.g. to Mexican drug cartels) of items related to the production of fentanyl, a leading cause of US drug overdoses. "It’s going to save lives,” Biden said, adding he appreciated Xi’s “commitment” on the issue. Under the agreement, China will go directly after specific chemical companies that make fentanyl precursor.
- Pressed on whether he trusts Xi, Biden quoted President Reagan: “Trust but verify, as the old saying goes. That’s where I am.”

A FULL CONFERENCE ROOM
The two leaders had about a dozen top aides by their sides during the meeting in California—part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Biden said it's important to ensure that "competition doesn't veer into conflict." Xi said that the world has changed since he last met with Biden, but that “Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed."

FRIENDS OR FOES?
Diplomacy was suspended in February when a Chinese spy balloon came into U.S. airspace and peeked into U.S. military sites — including where nuclear warheads are stored. The US shot it down. China still claims it was a weather balloon.

Here’s what else was on the agenda:

Iran: The U.S. wants China’s help in cooling down tensions in the Middle East. China is tight with Iran, and the U.S. wants them to use that relationship to ensure the Israel-Hamas war doesn’t spread.
Russia: Russia and China are also friends. Russia’s war against Ukraine was discussed. Biden and Xi agreed that a nuclear war should never be fought and both oppose the threat of use in Ukraine.
Artificial Intelligence: The two nations lead the world in AI. They agreed to get experts together to discuss the technology.

Notably not on the agenda: China’s human rights. The U.S., other governments, and human rights groups have accused China of putting over a million people from its Uyghur community, a Muslim ethnic minority, into detention camps.

TRADE, TECH, TAIWAN
These talks come as China’s economy isn’t so hot: growth is slow, youth unemployment is high, and deflation is setting in.

American companies shifted factory production away from China to less politically risky venues.
Both sides have steep tariffs and curbs on critical exports — from advanced technology to minerals used to make electric vehicles.

Technology has dominated the U.S.-China relationship over the past year. This summer, Chinese hackers penetrated the email accounts of U.S. officials.

Then there’s Taiwan. Beijing closed military communications with the U.S. after then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last year. But, Biden announced yesterday the restoration of communication.

The U.S. doesn’t want Taiwan to be added to the list of global conflicts.
Biden said Wednesday that he stressed the need for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The U.S. official said Biden argued to maintain the status quo and for China to respect Taiwan's electoral process as the island votes next year.

NO PANDA-MONIUM
This week’s summit isn’t expected to have a huge impact on U.S.-China relations. Biden and Xi are looking instead for a “cosmetic, cost-free lowering of the temperature.” Pandas then?

Last week, panda diplomacy ended—a 1972 lease of the animals between the U.S. and China. Beijing told the National Zoo, in Washington, D.C., without giving a reason, that it would not renew its lucrative panda lease… we think it’s a place to start 🐼

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Global decline in male fertility linked to common pesticides (NBC)

📌 Osama bin Laden letter goes viral on Tiktok 21 years later (ROLLING STONE)

📌 Thanksgiving dinner prices falling from record high (AXIOS)

📌 Law enforcement has "multiple investigations into individuals affiliated" with Hamas, FBI director tells Congress (CBS)

📌 Hunter Biden seeks to subpoena Donald Trump and Bill Barr in his criminal gun case (CNN)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Iceland experiences another 800 earthquakes overnight as researchers find signs volcanic eruption is near (CBS)

📌 UK plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda blocked by Supreme Court (CNN)

📌 Qatar seeking Israel-Hamas deal to free 50 hostages and 3-day truce (REUTERS)

📌 With a boost from John Oliver, pūteketeke soars to first in New Zealand bird contest (NPR)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Vote on tentative contract with General Motors too close to call as more tallies are reported (AP NEWS)

📌 Distrust in scientists rises among both Republicans and Democrats (AXIOS)

📌 Clouds made of sand make for a strange kind of rain on this hot planet (NPR)

📌 The US Postal Service lost $6.5 billion last year. It predicted it would break even (CNN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 ‘Friends' mourn Matthew Perry: Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, and Courtney Cox pay tribute (NBC)

📌 Jimmy Kimmel to host 2024 Oscars ceremony (NBC)

📌 Prince Harry and Prince William's relationship is beyond repair: 'there's no going back' (PEOPLE)

📌 Suspect arrested in death of Minnesota hockey player Adam Johnson released on bail (CBS)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: NOVEMBER 16

1959: The Sound of Music opens on Broadway, a smash hit from the first night (despite meh reviews from the NY Times).
- Nearly all of the particulars of Austrian nun, Maria von Trapp’s 1949 memoir, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, were ignored by the creators of the Broadway musical. The 1965 film, The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer was adapted from the musical.
1979: Paul McCartney releases ‘Wonderful Christmastime’
1988: Benazir Bhutto is elected prime minister of Pakistan, becoming the first woman in modern history to lead a Muslim country, serving as prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 1996. She was assassinated in 2007.
2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first of eight films based on the J.K. Rowling series, opens in movie theaters across the U.S. and went on to gross more than $1 billion worldwide.