clear and direct contact was necessary to avoid accidents or misunderstandings. earlier, mr xi described china s relationship with the us as the most important in the world. president biden made his comments at a news conference that mr xi didn t attend. i welcome the positive . steps we ve taken today, and it s important for the world to see - that we re implementing the approach in the best traditions i of american diplomacy. we re talking - to our competitors and the key. and just talking, just - being blunt with one another, so there s no misunderstanding, |as a key element to maintainingj global stability and delivering for the american people. - and in the months ahead, we re going to continue to preserve i and pursue high level diplomacy | with the prc in both directionsl to keep the lines of communication open, including between president xi and me. he and i agreed that each one of us could pick up i the phone, call directly- and be heard immediately. i think i kno