US aiming to defuse tensions in Biden-Xi summit

With most attention in the build-up focused on the sparring over Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy claimed by China, Biden’s aides have cast the summit as an opportunity to help prevent tensions escalating further. “We know as a responsible global leader that it’s important to keep channels of communication open,” a senior administration official told reporters, adding that “competition” between the two countries should not lead to “conflict.” “The president will also make clear that we want to build common guardrails to avoid miscalculation or misunderstanding.” At the same time, the White House also sought to temper expectations, with the official…