US trade chief: Biden-Xi meeting sends powerful signal to world

"It is a really good thing, it is really important" that the talks took place, Ms Tai told the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Tuesday.

The face-to-face meeting between United States President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping was a powerful signal to the rest of the world that both leaders can manage ties, according to US trade chief Katherine Tai.

"The body language was very powerful from the photos of the two leaders greeting each other and standing together," she said.

"That is a powerful signal to the rest of the world in terms of two leaders who are capable of managing a tremendously complex relationship."

Further discussions between both sides will continue, Ms Tai added.

"The two leaders have tasked their senior officials to continue to communicate, and we are looking forward to building on the open and candid conversations that we have been having with our counterparts in Beijing," she said.

Ms Tai spoke after Mr Biden met Mr Xi on Monday night at a seaside resort in Bali for talks that exceeded low expectations.

The US said the two sides would resume cooperation on issues including climate change and food security, and that Mr Biden and Mr Xi jointly chastised Russia for loose talk of nuclear war over Ukraine.