US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping wrapped up the first day of their two-day summit in Washington DC. HT takes a look at what was achieved, what wasn’t and how countries like India will be assessing the progress in talks between the two superpowers.
Rather than confronting China’s unfair trade practices, technology theft, complicity in attacks against our troops or economic and military aggression against our allies, President Trump opted for pageantry over purpose—trading tough diplomacy for a ballroom tour and a lavish dinner with his billionaire friends,” said 19 US Senators in a joint statement on Thursday. A key announcement came in on the day before the Trump-Xi summit when US treasury secretary Scott Bessent announced that a trade truce between Beijing and Washington that was set to expire in November will be extended by two months till January. A statement released by China’s foreign ministry argued that Washington and Beijing should maintain a dialogue on AI.
President Xi called for increasing the number of areas for “win-win cooperation” between the two countries and ensuring “competition is kept within proper limits”. On the soft power side, Xi announced China would loan two pandas to the Atlanta Zoo in keeping with its practice of “panda diplomacy” and proposed bringing 100,000 American students to China. The day began with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump welcoming President Xi and Chinese First Lady Peng Liyuan to the White House. The Chinese leader was welcomed by hundreds of US military personnel, including a stealth bomber and fighter jet flyover. The two leaders then spoke to the press, largely focusing on the need for stability and cooperation in the US-China relationship. Trump and Xi then met for several hours for a bilateral meeting in the afternoon, which was followed by a state dinner attended by some of the most high-powered officials and politicians in the United States and China. After years of US-China tensions, the meeting also generally kept up a tone of general civility while stressing the need for stability in relations between the two superpowers. President Trump echoed that rhetoric, focusing his efforts on a more balanced trade relationship and pushing discussions on AI and technology. “At a time when Americans are struggling with rising costs of gas, electricity and groceries, President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi.
