Last month’s first in-person summit between President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping was a relatively successful event, even if there weren’t many specific outcomes. Both leaders came away pledging to keep up U.S.-China dialogue. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Beijing early next year.

Given the adversarial competition Washington and Beijing find themselves in, mutually acceptable solutions are hard to come by. This is especially true with respect to Taiwan, which the Chinese Communist Party eventually intends to reunify with the mainland. Next to sustaining China’s economic development, there is no more vital issue in the ranks of the CCP, and to Xi personally, than bringing the self-ruled island into the fold. Xi’s “national rejuvenation” campaign simply cannot be completed without it.