In less than an hour, the presidents of the US and China will meet.
A lot of people will be keeping an eye out for pyrotechnics, but some experts predict a calmer meeting than we anticipate.
“I don’t see any big shoot-out or clash,” says John Kirton, a political science professor and founder of the G20 Research Group.
“Both of these leaders have overwhelming incentives not to go, at the end of their meeting, in front of TV cameras and say: ‘We failed’.
“Too much is at stake for both of them and for all the countries they want to keep on their side, and there are so many things they can agree on.”
These include keeping North Korea from veering into nuclear recklessness and tackling climate change, Mr Kirton told the BBC.
He also pointed out that the meeting comes as the two leaders make their rounds in the region at high-level meetings, such as the Asean and Apec summits.
“It’s not just a date, it’s a relationship, and it means they can’t betray one another, because there’ll be payback in the next encounter. So there’ll be co-operation.”
But they are certain to stick to their guns on a number of things – both have signalled they will not concede on their respective positions on Taiwan, for instance.
Mr Kirton said Biden may use Russia’s recent setback in the Ukraine war to to Xi that “look, given what’s happened in Kherson… Mr Xi it’s probably a bad idea to invade Taiwan as soon as you might like”.
Biden will also be keen to show other leaders that democracy “is a model of the future internationally, and the kind of authoritarianism under Xi, dictator for life, is not really working at home for China any more”, said Mr Kirton.
Source: BBC