Dear Focus Reader,

It was a week filled with dialogue between senior leaders of China and the United States.

Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping had a phone call on Tuesday, their first interaction since meeting on the sidelines of APEC in November. A senior U.S. official described the conversation as a "check-in" on the state of bilateral ties following the San Francisco summit.

The leaders reportedly discussed largely predictable topics, including spaces for cooperation like countering narcotics, artificial intelligence, and climate change, and even agreed that the relationship is stabilizing.

But the conversation intensified surrounding U.S. technology export restrictions. In line with previous remarks, Biden emphasized that the restrictions are necessary to "prevent advanced U.S. technologies from being used to undermine our national security, without unduly limiting trade and investment." But as anticipated, Xi rebutted, according to reports, saying the list of sanctioned Chinese companies is growing, suppressing Chinese development, and that these measures aren't "de-risking," but rather creating risks for the bilateral ties.

While no particularly monumental agreements were made on the call, it officially kicked off what looks to be a series of renewed diplomatic activities.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is currently in Beijing for meetings with various Chinese officials, including Premier Li Qiang and Vice Premier He Lifeng, where she intends to underscore the "global economic consequences of Chinese industrial overcapacity."

We can also likely expect Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit China in the coming months, as well as a call between Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart.

To stay in the know about the latest in China-U.S. policy, catch up on our latest Focus content, including articles covering China's economy, China-ROK-Japan relations, the electric vehicle market.