Trump, Xi urge pursuit of common ground as they meet

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at the South Portico of the White House in Washington on Sept 24.

PHILADELPHIA – In a reference that could only have pleased China, President Donald Trump kicked off his summit with President Xi Jinping at the White House on Sept 24 with warm words about how the two countries had fought together in World War II.

“The pursuit of common interests has connected our people across the vast oceans and many differences and even made us allies in World War II,” Trump said in a brief speech as Washington and Beijing look to ease tensions over trade, artificial intelligence and the Iran war.

“Look at the greatness that we had together fighting in World War II. Brave American pilots volunteered to come to China and fight for the very survival of the legendary country,” he said, bringing up a reference to the Flying Tigers, a group of American pilots who flew for the Chinese air force to fight the Japanese during World War II, before the United States officially joined the war.

“They were just unbelievable, they inspired the Marines to adopt a Chinese phrase they still use today, “gung ho”. The Marines use it as an expression of great enthusiasm, but in Chinese it literally means working together.

“President Xi and I will continue working together to forge a better future for both of our nations,” Trump said.

Xi also referenced the war. This is not uncommon for Chinese leaders, who often invoke the war to bring up the narrative that China suffered a foreign invasion, fought and prevailed. It also ties into the larger account of the Chinese framing of their modern history as “a century of humiliation” that is giving way to China having a major role in shaping the postwar international order.

“Chinese and Americans fought shoulder to shoulder against fascist aggression. Chinese people have never forgotten that part of history, nor have the American people,” Xi said. The war comes up less often in the speeches of US presidents, who see it as a tale of US democratic resolve, allied victory and the postwar leadership.

In his speech, Xi said he had a “personal rapport” with the US President, adding that the two leaders “should seek common ground”.

“Our competition should be a healthy one. Not a wrestle in which one wins and one loses,” Xi said.

But Xi also brought up the “Thucydides Trap”, which could hardly have pleased Trump, who had reportedly reacted vehemently to it in a private setting after Xi used the term when they met in Beijing in May. The concept, popularised by Harvard political scientist Graham Allison, is often used to describe the likelihood of a war breaking out when an established power tries to constrain the growth and expansion of a rising power – in this case, the catastrophic consequences of the US trying to contain China.

Xi also made a case for the bilateral business relationship to be upgraded.

“China keeps its door wide open, welcomes American companies wanting to invest and do business there,” he said. “We hope Chinese companies are treated fairly here in the United States.”

“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” Xi said, and invited 100,000 American students to visit China in the next five years.

Trump has said he wanted to let an additional 600,000 Chinese students into American universities, but that upset the immigration hardliners in his base. Xi also announced that two pandas would be coming to their new home at the Atlanta zoo in the coming days.

Analysts watching for cues as to how the two countries are reshaping their relationship pointed to Xi raising Beijing’s new framing of the relationship as one of “constructive strategic stability”. Trump has accepted the concept, which hit the headlines during their May 13 to May 14 summit in Beijing.

To US analysts, this is a sign that Beijing wants Washington to accept boundaries on where it can challenge China.

Evan Medeiros, a top Asia aide in the Obama White House, said he viewed the term “with great concern, if not alarm”.

“This is their statecraft. They use these phrases as a way to discipline their partner and constrain the relationship. And from the Chinese perspective, they view the 2025 trade war and the Busan truce as the US-China relationship having crossed a threshold – a threshold that they’ve been striving for for a very long time, which is to achieve equal status with the United States. And having achieved equal status now, they believe that they can dictate the terms,” Medeiros said.

Yun Sun, senior fellow and director of the China Programme at the Stimson Center think-tank, said the Chinese were loving the summit. “It is high-profile; Xi received the highest treatment in terms of protocol; Trump expressed highest respect and regards – what’s not to like?” she said.

“The WWII reference is certainly gearing towards more great power cooperation.”

The reference to strategic stability is China’s attempt to project positivity in bilateral relations and portray an endgame both sides can aspire for, she added.

“The Thucydides Trap is interesting. It means China accepts the premise of the theory – that China is a rising power forming a threat to the existing great power, that is, the US.”

That means Xi also acknowledged competition is real, she said. “Although the message is that the US and China should manage it.”

No major US TV network aired live footage of Trump and Xi, neither at the airport on Sept 23 when Trump broke protocol to personally welcome Xi’s plane, nor of the ceremony and speeches by the two presidents as they convened for a bilateral summit at the White House on Sept 24.

The raging row over the White House banning access to journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico continues even after a judge ordered the administration to restore access hours before the start of the second day of the visit, which concludes on Sept 25.