Trump-Xi White House summit yields pomp but no political breakthrough
Donald Trump hosted a lavish White House reception for China's Xi Jinping on Thursday, but the talks produced no real progress on contentious issues. Observers say ceremony overshadowed substance.
US President Donald Trump held an elaborate White House reception on Thursday for Chinese leader Xi Jinping, drawing top American tech executives including Elon Musk of Tesla, Tim Cook of Apple and Sam Altman of OpenAI, according to Deutsche Welle. Xi, by contrast, arrived without any Chinese business representatives.
In his remarks, Trump highlighted the personal rapport between the two countries, claiming the nations had "never understood each other so well." Xi struck a more measured tone, saying both powers should act as responsible major states and find a new approach to bilateral relations.
Thorny issues, no convergence
Earlier bilateral talks touched on sensitive topics including Taiwan, Iran, Ukraine and artificial intelligence. China's state news agency Xinhua reported that Xi urged Washington to oppose Taiwanese independence. Following Trump's visit to China in May, the US suspended a nearly $14 billion arms package for Taiwan, calling it a subject open to negotiation.
On the fast-developing field of artificial intelligence, Xi said the technology must always remain under human control. Despite the presence of tech industry figures at the banquet, sources suggest Trump will maintain strict export controls on American technology that China has been seeking to ease. Positions also failed to align on the US and Israeli campaign against Iran, with Xi only calling for a return to a ceasefire.
During the state banquet, Trump also used the occasion to showcase his construction projects, inviting guests to view the site of a new ballroom being built at the White House, having earlier shown Xi a newly completed helipad.
The Financial Times noted it is still too early to draw final conclusions about the visit, but the impression so far is that pageantry outweighed substance. Sarah Beran, a former senior US diplomat who has coordinated past meetings between American presidents and Xi, said that for Beijing the summit's real practical outcome would not be a list of concrete achievements but photographs showcasing unprecedented pomp and ceremony. She pointed to a real imbalance between the meager progress on issues of concern to Washington and the summit's grandeur, calling it a missed opportunity for the United States despite the value of open communication channels between the two leaders.
