Show me the way

Xi Jinping is clearing the way for a meeting with US president Joe Biden next month.

On Monday, Xi received a bipartisan group of US senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Before sitting down with the big man, Schumer and co. had already met with:

• Politburo Standing Committee member and head of the national legislature Zhao Leji
• Top diplomat and foreign minister Wang Yi
• Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining

Xi told Schumer he wants to work together – and avoid conflict (Xinhua):

• "China maintains that the common interests of the two countries far outweigh their differences."
• "The 'Thucydides Trap' is not inevitable."

The Chinese readout indicated that Schumer reciprocated by saying (Xinhua):

• "The U.S. side does not seek a conflict with China, nor does it seek to decouple."
• "The United States is willing to enhance dialogue and communication with China in an open and candid manner...and stabilize and strengthen U.S.-China relations."

But Schumer also brought up several contentious topics, including (WSJ):

• China's lack of condemnation of Hamas' attack on Israel
• An unlevel playing field for American companies in China
• China's role in the US fentanyl crisis
• Human rights abuses in China

Get smart: With the high-level welcoming of Schumer's bipartisan congressional delegation, the Chinese are – knowingly or unknowingly – providing some domestic political cover for US president Biden to meet with Xi Jinping at the November APEC Summit in San Francisco.

• It will now be more difficult for members of the US legislature to leverage the upcoming Xi-Biden meeting to accuse Biden of being soft on China, given that key congressional leaders from both parties just sat down with the Chinese leader themselves.

The big picture: US-China ties are on more stable footing today than they were a couple of months ago.

• And things are set to improve further – if only marginally – as the heads of state prepare to meet next month.
• But we'll say it again: Overall, tensions are structurally higher than they have been over the past decade, so the potential for another downward spiral in relations is ever-present.