China supporters and protesters gather in San Francisco as Xi, Biden meet

In the heart of San Francisco, police sirens whine over Chinese marching tunes blaring from loudhailers.

Hundreds of people – both supporters of and protesters against China President Xi Jinping – are pressed up against security barriers surrounding the Moscone Centre where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting is being held.

The streets are draped in red as Chinese flags and banners from both sides flap in the wind.

The two groups shout slogans or blast music at each other across the road while security officers warn them to keep to the sidewalks.

One Chinese supporter hoping to catch a glimpse of President Xi, who had come all the way from Seattle, told CNA that he was "trying his luck" by coming to the edge of the security zone around the centre. Others said they had come because they heard others were gathered there.

One lady, furiously texting on her phone, said in irritation that she was just trying to get back to her hotel, which was right next to the Moscone Centre and now behind the barriers. Many others just trying to get to supermarkets or places in the zone are turned back. Most roads around the area have been closed with police vehicles lining the streets. Getting in requires passing through two security checkpoints and having your bags sniffed by police dogs. 

Protesters, however, were undeterred by the heightened measures and continued to gather, shout slogans and hold up placards around the cordon. Not all of the demonstrators were pressing on issues related to China. 

Past the tight security, the convention centre was a bubble of calm and isolated from the commotion.

While there were ministerial meetings throughout the day, Wednesday’s highlight was the meet-up on the sidelines of the APEC summit between Xi and US President Joe Biden. 

This second meeting between the two leaders, a year after the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in Bali, was highly anticipated after US-China relations came under great strain in recent years.

The Filoli Historic House and Garden, where both leaders were huddled for four hours, is about 50km south of the city.

After making opening remarks, Xi and Biden had closed-door talks and a working lunch of herbed ricotta ravioli, roast chicken and other dishes.

Biden hailed the dialogue as "constructive", saying in a tweet: "I value the conversation I had today with President Xi because I think it's paramount that we understand each other clearly, leader to leader.

"There are critical global challenges that demand our joint leadership. And today, we made real progress."

In remarks made before the meeting, Xi said: "For two large countries like China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option.

"It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation have unbearable consequences for both sides."

He added: "Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed, and one country’s success is an opportunity for the other."

One major outcome of the face-to-face talks was to resume military communications – so as to avoid unintentional conflict.

This comes more than a year after China severed such contact after then-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, during which US and China's militaries have had a number of near-misses and acrimonious exchanges.

Taiwan remains a touchy issue. A US official describing the leaders’ exchange on the island claimed by China said that Xi told Biden that China's preference is for peaceful reunification, but the Chinese leader also talked about conditions in which force could be used.

Biden asked the Chinese to respect the electoral process in Taiwan, the official said. Xi also urged the United States to stop sending weapons to Taiwan, Chinese state media reported.

Both sides also agreed that China would stem the export of items related to the production of fentanyl, a leading cause of drug overdoses in the US, and to get experts together to discuss the risks of artificial intelligence.

Bolstered by the bilateral meeting, Biden headed in the evening to the Exploratorium museum for a welcome reception for APEC leaders, while Xi is expected to meet top US business executives at a dinner.

Country leaders and ministers from 21 APEC economies have gathered in San Francisco for the Economic Leaders’ Meeting which opens officially on Thursday.