When senior U.S. and Chinese officials met last spring in Alaska to break the ice, things quickly devolved into a circus. While the meetings behind closed doors were far more professional, both sides put on a show for the reporters who were ushered into the room.

China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, lectured the U.S. delegation on what he categorized as Washington’s bullying. Secretary of State Antony Blinken fired back, referencing China’s cyberattacks and economic coercion. The whole thing was a diplomatic boxing match. As expected, nothing was resolved. The U.S.-China relationship hasn’t gotten any less hostile since then, which is the best reason one can offer in support of exploring another round of high-level talks.