It took place at a venue famous for glitzy weddings. But Wednesday’s summit between Joe Biden and Xi Jinping had more in common with a counseling session for a couple contemplating divorce. The premise: Let’s try to keep things civil for the kids.

All week, fear of a new Cold War has loomed over San Francisco, where Asia-Pacific leaders are gathered. After four hours of talks on Wednesday, the US and Chinese presidents offered a glimpse of just how hard it’s going to be to manage their relationship away from that course.