U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, China¡¯s premier and Russia¡¯s foreign minister will gather at an East Asia summit in Indonesia on Thursday, offering a rare chance of direct, top-level diplomacy between their sparring nations.

The 18-nation meeting will bring Washington and Beijing into contact a day after Premier Li Qiang warned that major powers must manage their differences to avoid a ¡°new Cold War,¡± ahead of the G20 summit this week where President Xi Jinping will be absent.

Interactions between the officials from the world¡¯s top two economies will be closely watched as they seek to control tensions that risk flaring anew, over issues ranging from Taiwan to ties with Moscow and a competition for influence in the Pacific.