U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping reached a deal to resume high-level military-to-military talks during their first meeting in a year Wednesday in the San Francisco Bay Area, as their countries looked to stabilize a relationship that has been in freefall amid fears it could devolve into outright conflict.

¡°We¡¯re going to continue to preserve and pursue high-level diplomacy with (China) in both directions to keep the lines of communication open, including between President Xi and me,¡± Biden told reporters after the talks at the Filoli estate, south of San Francisco. ¡°He and I agreed that each one of us could pick up the phone and call directly and we¡¯d be heard immediately.¡±

Biden called the talks ¡°some of the most constructive and productive discussions we¡¯ve had,¡± adding that the two leaders had made ¡°some important progress¡± in improving a relationship that had soured over a broad array of security, technology and rights concerns