[HIGHLIGHTS] Sino-US relations are expected to see a "thaw very soon", says Joe Biden

Washington's decision in February to shoot down a Chinese spy balloon that allegedly flew over the United States sparked a diplomatic row between the two powers. A visit to Beijing by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, which had been heralded as an opportunity to improve relations, was cancelled after the balloon incident.

At a press conference Sunday after the G7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, Joe Biden was asked why the direct line of communication between the U.S. and China was not operational.