The leaders met on Wednesday for the first time in a year.

They were hoping to lower the volume on their disagreements.

"We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict.

We also have to manage it responsibly."

The China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.

It should develop in a way that benefits our two peoples,

and fulfills our responsibility for human progress.

Xi seemed to take a softer stance on improving ties with the US.

It comes as China's economy continues to struggle, and concerns mount about its recovery.

Beijing needs to lure financial resources from abroad.

But the picture is not good.

Foreign direct investment turned negative for the first time in the July to September period.

Many international firms made withdrawals and downsized operations

more quickly than new funds flowed in for factories and other projects.

China's slow recovery from the pandemic is weighing on consumer demand.

Other advanced economies have prioritized fighting inflation.

But China teeters on the brink of deflation.

Meanwhile, the turmoil in the real estate sector is getting worse.

The major developer Country Garden was declared in default on its debt last month.

That was after another big player, Evergrande Group, ran into difficulties of its own.

Fears spread in October the problems were spilling into the wider financial industry.

That sparked a run on a regional bank in northern China.

Rumors circulated that the bank was suffering a cash crunch because of its exposure to Evergrande.

The property sector downturn has also exposed how the country's hidden debts pose a risk to the financial system.

China's provinces have been propping up their economies using so-called "local government financing vehicles," or LGFV.

These are investment companies under the umbrella of regional authorities.

They're set up specifically to issue bonds and raise funds to build infrastructure.

But local government finances have crumbled, partly because the land sales they relied on for revenue have dropped.

That has thrown the LGFV into distress, bringing construction projects to a halt.

The International Monetary Fund estimates LGFV have built up huge debts of around 66 trillion yuan,

over 9 trillion dollars, nearly doubling over 5 years.

There are worries potential defaults could have a massive impact on the financial market.

One expert says Beijing hopes to use the summit with the US to stabilize ties and prop up the economy.

"China needs to accelerate economic development.

COVID led to more local government debt.

The jobless rate is also very high.

China wants to stabilize its relationship with the US."

A real breakthrough between the countries is unlikely with just one meeting.

But with China's leader under pressure to revive the economy, it could help prevent the tensions from getting worse.

This YouTube video amazed viewers around the world.

The man is playing an online game without touching a controller.

He directs the movements of a character by sending signals from his brain through electrodes implanted in his head.

Nathan Copeland is an American who has a physical disability.

At age 18, he suffered a serious neck injury in a car accident.

He can move his arms to some degree, but has a hard time controlling his fingers.

Cap off!

At age 28 he participated in a research project at Pittsburgh University,

and had electrodes implanted in his brain.

This device is connected to a cable that sends his brainwaves to a computer.

I kind of wanted to help make sure the people after me

don't have to go through the same kind of period of like depression and sadness after having an accident.

Aside from video games, Copeland has participated in experiments to operate robotic arms.

He can make large gestures, like moving the arms back and forth.

He can even open his robotic hand and move the fingers with enough precision for a handshake.

I'm kind of just thinking about moving my own arm.

I'm just imaging as if it was my own hand moving around and it's pretty cool.

Research into BMI is also underway at Osaka University in western Japan.

Prof. Hirata Masayuki says the rapid progress in BMI has been driven by two factors.

Both the technologies of AI-based brainwave analysis

and implantable devices that accurately measure brainwaves have advanced.

The practical use of these tools has enabled rapid developments in this field.

Prof. Hirata has been working on ways to make BMI even easier to use,

developing a wireless device that connects the electrodes to a computer.

The device is highly portable, and has a much lower risk of causing scalp infection,

since the connector isn't exposed.

He's now hoping to ensure safety through clinical studies with patients, aiming to get it into practical use.

We hope to create a wireless, implantable BMI for people with severe physical disabilities as quickly as possible.

The potential of this technology is thought-provoking, to say the least.

The day may not be far off when people with disabilities - and those without -

will be able to remotely control robots and other machines by sending signals directly from their brains.

One company is aiming to increase attendance and attract new fans through a virtual stadium!

And an app developer has found business potential in connecting fans with hard-to-follow amateur sports teams...

Today's On-Site Report shows how two companies are using the power of the internet

to give fans new ways to follow and support their favorite teams!

All the players on this "corporate handball team" are company employees who compete in an 11-team amateur league.

The league had plans to transition into a professional league next year,

but with dwindling support, that may not be possible.

Last season, the average turnout for league games was 530 people - 20% lower than it was 5 years ago.

This team, however, isn't giving up without a fight and is hoping to use the metaverse to increase its fan base.

A web-based virtual stadium allows fans to create their own avatars and gather online to cheer on their team together.

While watching a live broadcast of the match, fans can dance, cheer, and even throw confetti to celebrate a great play.

They can also use a message board to send supportive comments to their favorite players!

Oh, so close! Come on! Come on!

Today, Hasegawa Miako is using the virtual stadium for the first time

so she can watch her sister play in an away game.

Since giving birth to her son 6 months ago, she hasn't been able to go to many of her sister's matches.

Here we go... Nice shot, good job, sis!!

Look, my avatar is still dancing!

When watching through the virtual stadium, you have people all around you

and you feel like you're part of the crowd.

You can post comments and see what others are saying,

so it really makes you feel as though you're cheering on the team together!

The idea for the virtual stadium came from a fellow employee

who was responsible for creating online advertising for the company's electronic goods.

Although the virtual stadium first became available to fans this year,

the company's first foray into the metaverse came in 2020

when it created a virtual showroom to promote the company and feature its latest products.

After working on that project,

Taniguchi Yuka felt the same technology could be used to help increase the handball team's fan base.

We are still aiming for some major changes next year,

so I've been really working hard to keep our current fans coming to support us.

We also want to get the word out about this exciting sport and add as many new fans as possible.

Although the teams receive some financial support from their companies,

they also rely on admission fees to home games to cover various costs.

The company decided to create a virtual stadium that would keep fans connected to the team during away games,

in the hopes of boosting support and getting more fans to come to home games.

For today's away game, 825 people joined to support the team via the virtual stadium.

That's more than the record physical turnout for a home game.

We're doing whatever we can to create new fans as well as to get our supporters to show up in person to our home games!

This is a university rugby match.

The players in the striped jerseys are playing for the Tokyo University of Agriculture.

Since they are a league 3 team, their matches are not broadcast on television.

After scoring a try, a team member quickly pulls out a tablet and begins to type.

Our rugby team app provides fans with live updates and information about the team's matches.

We just got the app this year and we've been using it for official league games.

The app he's using was customized by the developer to serve as the team's official app.

In addition to providing general team info, the app lets fans keep track of stats and other information in real time.

The app is even able to share live video of matches as well as highlight clips for fans to enjoy.

The free-to-use app doesn't just let fans closely follow their team's performance no matter where they are in the world,

it also has a message board that lets them communicate with each other as well as to cheer on their favorite team together.

Up until now, only top league schools were able to reach large audiences by broadcasting their matches,

but this app helps to level the playing field.

The app customization service was created by a Tokyo based start-up.

It developed a base application with a variety of core features

that can be customized to match the style and type of sport for almost any team.

Company founder Ogata Taiyo realized that a large number of sports fans in Japan

are interested in following amateur sports teams.

I think the biggest thing with high school and university sports teams

is that you have parents and family members who are desperate to see their sons or daughters play.

Drawing in new fans can be difficult for amateur teams,

but when you already have a passionate fan base that has a deep connection to a team,

like alumni or local fans, then I think you have huge potential user base!

Beyond providing live match information, the app offers another feature

that can help provide amateur teams with much needed financial support.

From equipment to sports drinks and even protein supplements, a rugby team has a lot of expenses to cover.

So I decided to help them out and donate 3,000 yen through the app.

Doing that made me feel like I was doing something positive to support the team!

The cost for an official app as well as regular updates and new features is about $350 per month for each team.

It definitely isn't cheap, but we think it's worth it

in order to strengthen the bond between the team and our fans.

Since first offering its official team app service in February of 2022,

the developer has created apps for 200 teams across Japan

including for elementary, junior and senior high schools' teams.

The potential is incredible.

For example, there are about 25,000 amateur and pro soccer teams registered with the Japan Football Association alone.

And if we include other sports, we estimate that there are approximately 200,000 sports teams in Japan.

Right now, we are working with 200 teams, but in the future, I think we might be able to reach as many 20,000.