Blinken Claims ‘Stiff Neck’ Caused Wince When Biden Called Xi ‘Dictator’ at APEC Summit

Unlike with the Soviet Union in the 20th century, the US economy is closely intertwined with China’s, making American strategists wary of totally severing relations with the nuclear superpower. This has made economic fora like the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) into key diplomatic arenas, too.