"All show, no substance" U.S.-China summit... Only Xi Jinping, whose confidence grew against Trump, smiled

This article was translated by an AI tool. Feedback Here.

On the 23rd (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump greets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the airport. AP Yonhap News

Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-night, three-day state visit to the United States was little more than a kind of "diplomatic show" choreographed by U.S. President Donald Trump. While it was filled with lavish protocol, the official talks lasted only about 90 minutes. Sensitive issues touching on both countries' core interests, such as rare earths, technology controls, the Taiwan question, and AI (artificial intelligence) dominance, were left largely unaddressed, and the two sides merely agreed to extend the "trade truce" by two months.

The most striking feature of this meeting was Xi's markedly heightened confidence, commensurate with his elevated stature. Experts noted that, unlike at the Beijing summit in May, Xi this time made a very direct demand of President Trump to oppose Taiwan independence.

On the 23rd (local time), President Trump extended exceptional courtesies, even going in person to Andrews airport to greet Xi. According to the White House press pool, Trump and First Lady Melania reportedly waited at the airport for over an hour for a runway greeting.

For three straight days, red carpets were rolled out everywhere Xi went. They were seen not only at the White House, which he visited three times for a summit, a dinner, and tea time, but even on the steps of the National Archives, the final stop on his schedule.

This is because President Trump, having lost the upper hand in the tariff war over rare earths, shifted strategy toward managing tensions with China stably through a friendly relationship with Xi. A de-escalation was also essential for Xi, who needs to calm economic anxieties at home and buy time to prepare for next year's National Congress of the Communist Party.

Accordingly, in their official remarks the two leaders sidestepped sensitive issues and stuck to rhetoric emphasizing the coexistence and friendship of two great powers. Trump said he and Xi had built a "great friendship," adding that "the United States and China have never maintained relations as good as they are now." Xi likewise stressed that "the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and MAGA (Make America Great Again) can move forward together" and that "we can avoid the Thucydides Trap."

Experts described the summit as flashy but empty, a textbook case of "all show, no substance." Although the two leaders assessed the meeting as having "brought friendship, strength, and success to both countries" (Trump) and said that "the outlook for bilateral relations will become even brighter" (Xi Jinping), the materials released by both sides after the talks contained little in the way of meaningful results.

The White House said the two sides agreed to reduce tariffs on $30 billion worth of "non-sensitive items," and that they were continuing consultations to address U.S. concerns over shortages in supply chains for critical minerals such as rare earths. However, the Chinese readout omitted any mention of rare earths, and on sensitive issues such as trade imbalances, technology controls, the Taiwan question, and the Iran war, the two sides announced no substantive agreements. In AI, they established only a bilateral communication channel - the "U.S.-China Superintelligence Dialogue" - to prepare for possible incidents, without addressing competition for supremacy or limits on development speed.

The biggest achievement, if any, was the two-month extension of the bilateral "trade truce" that had been set to expire in November. In effect, this merely amounted to agreeing to continue talks at the next bilateral meetings to be held on the occasion of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the G20 summit in Florida, United States, in December.

Daniel Russel, a senior fellow at the Asia Society who previously served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, called this summit "one with a severe imbalance between spectacle and substance. We call this 'diplotainment' (a portmanteau of diplomacy and entertainment)," adding, "The pandas that China has agreed to send to the United States are really cute, but what the United States really needs right now is rare earths." He said, "It is beneficial for the two leaders to talk, but it is not right to act as if the conflict has been resolved while shelving the fundamental problems," and that "President Trump's fawning posture only elevated Xi Jinping's standing."

U.S. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania, and Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, pose for a commemorative photo before entering the banquet hall. Reuters Yonhap News

What stood out most in this summit, in fact, was Xi's confidence, which was clearly different even from the summit held in Beijing in May. At the talks on the 24th, Xi said, "We hope the United States will adhere to the correct position of opposing 'Taiwan independence' and handle the Taiwan issue prudently." Although the United States' existing official position is that it "does not support full independence for Taiwan," Xi deliberately chose the word "adhere" as if Washington had already accepted China's position. It was also noteworthy that his off-the-record remarks were reported by Xinhua, China's official news agency, not long after the meeting ended.

Bonnie Lin, China director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said in a video seminar, "At the Beijing summit, at least there was no talk that Xi had mentioned to President Trump specific demands related to Taiwan independence. But this time, Xi made a very direct demand of President Trump to 'oppose' Taiwan independence," pointing out that there had been a significant change in Xi's stance.

Meeting with reporters at the White House on the 26th, President Trump did not explain in detail what position he had conveyed on Xi's demand, but said, "President Xi understands very well how I think about the Taiwan issue." After the Beijing summit in May, Trump had stirred controversy by suggesting that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a "bargaining chip" with China.