"We were hoping for signals about the need to reset relations with the US Instead, it appears that uncertainty will continue and may worsen," Doug Barry, a vice president with the US-China Business Council, told VOA in an email exchange. "The next inflection point may come if presidents Biden and Xi meet in Bali next month, which would be an ideal time to announce some confidence-building measures with neither person accused of being soft on the other." However, Barry said, positions in both Washington and Beijing appear to be hardening, lowering the odds of compromise being found in the near term.