The summit of the U.S. presidents Joe BidenChinese President Xi JinpingA former White House official stated Thursday that the best way forward is to be in strategic competition with the top two world economies. 

Evan Medeiros was a former top adviser to President Barack Obama on Asia-Pacific. He said that only top leaders in Beijing could address some of the most controversial issues at the core of U.S.-China rivalry.

Medeiros told CNBC that there is no alternative approach that offers as good a chance to work at the moment. He is now a Georgetown University professor of Asian Studies.Squawk Box Asia“

He stated, “I think that the Biden administration is correct in saying not that it wants to cut out middlemen. But they want that top-level interaction between Biden and Xi as a way to kind of set the overall direction and tone of the relationship.”

On Wednesday, Jake Sullivan, the White House’s national security adviser and Yang Jiechi, the top Chinese diplomat held high-level talks at Zurich in Switzerland. It was their first encounter in person since April. March meeting in AlaskaThe event began with an unusual public airing of grievancesOn both sides.

Both sides came to an agreement during the discussions in Zurich. an “agreement in principle” to hold a virtual meetingAccording to sources, there is a relationship between Biden und Xi.  

The relationship between China and the U.S. has remained difficult over the past few years. The dispute has ranged from technology and trade to human rights and Covid-19 origins.

Analysts said that bilateral tensions were not heading towards a “grand Thaw” although communication between the countries seemed to be improving.

Scott Kennedy, a Washington D.C.-based thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies stated that the Biden-Xi virtual Summit signals a “limited thaw in bilateral relations.” It will stabilize U.S. China competition and help avoid any accidents, however.

Kennedy said that there may be positive outcomes, which would be wonderful, but that this was not a great thawing. Kennedy is a senior advisor at CSIS and trustee chair for Chinese economics and business.Squawk Box Asia“

The Zurich meeting between Sullivan & Yang discussed Taiwan’s situation. according to a White House statement

Kennedy stated that Taiwan would “for certain” be mentioned again during the virtual meeting between Biden and Xi. This meeting will take place before the end this year.

Taiwan reports several instances of Chinese warplanes breaching its air defense zoneIn recent days. The island said 148 Chinese air force planes have crossed the southern and southwestern part of the zone in the four days since Friday — when China marked its National Day.  

The U.S. State Department urged Beijing to end its diplomatic, military and economic pressures and coercion towards Taiwan.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party in Beijing claims Taiwan, a democratic self-ruled island, as a runaway province that must one day be reunited with the mainland — by force if necessary. Although the party never claimed Taiwan as its own, it has been assertive lately in its claim to Taiwan.

Although the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is Taiwan’s largest international supporter and arms provider. China is furious at this and views the U.S. unfavorably. interfering in its “domestic” affairs

Former Obama adviser Medeiros said Taiwan was a difficult issue that the U.S. should resolve with China.

He stated, “Building guardrails and setting boundaries begins with clear, consistent, credible communication between the U.S. top to the Chinese top so that they understand how they perceive these large strike packages over Taiwan and how they might illicit a reaction from the United States.”

“We need to get to know Beijing better so that we can understand their perceptions of our actions. Beijing has a misperception that the U.S. wants to transcend the “one China” policy. This is what motivates some of their most aggressive actions.

The “one China” policy refers to the concept that there’s only one central Chinese government — the one under the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing.