what i see in the initial statement coming out of the chinese ministry after today s seven hours of face-to-face talks, it is not hostile, it is not laced with the kind of criticism that we ve seen coming from chinese statements in the past. there is an acknowledgement that the u.s./china relationship is at the lowest point it s been since bilateral ties were established, but the statement goes on talk about need for an improvement in relations, for the two countries to be able to handle, quote, unexpected and sporadic events in a calm and rational manner. that is basically alluding to what the biden administration has been pushing for it, it wants to reestablish lines of communication so an incident in the south china sea involving u.s. and chinese war planes or warships, that it could not perhaps spiral out of control. so there was a lot of positive messaging coming out of beijing late tonight. and then, a couple of these