After a two-day summit in Beijing, opinions differ about whether Trump and the U.S. came out ahead, Xi and the PRC did, or both face continued stalemate.
Beijing gains
“President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing this week may have produced modest results by the standards of U.S.-China summits but it highlighted a clear benefit for China: after the extremes of last year’s trade war, the countries have reverted to their familiar economic and strategic standoff.
Two days of talks between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping underscored that even after Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs and the ensuing trade detente the two sides reached late last year, Washington and Beijing are still locked in the contest that Trump inherited when he started his second term….
“China came out ahead, given the retreat from the Trump administration’s brash approach on trade from early 2025, said Scott Kennedy, a China expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies.
‘Compared to where we were a year ago, with 145% tariffs and the U.S. really trying to push China and the rest of the world to fundamentally change, we’ve had a counterrevolution and we’re back at stability,’ Kennedy said.
—“Trump returns from China with stability and a stalemate,” Reuters
Beijing is losing control
“Xi did not anticipate the extent to which Trump has been willing to defy convention, take huge risks and break things to reverse all these pillars of growing Chinese advantage. Not all of Trump’s recent decisions have been about China, but China nevertheless finds itself in a worse strategic position because of them….
“Xi confronted a difficult environment during his meeting with Trump. The U.S. and its allies in Europe and Asia are rearming. Washington and Israel are now calling the shots in the Middle East at China’s and Russia’s expense. Beijing’s influence in Latin America is greatly diminished. Meanwhile, America is reindustrializing and resetting a trading relationship that had benefited China illegitimately and disproportionately.
“Trump, or his successors, may eventually find that the cost of disruption and breakage is far greater than anticipated. It is also too early to claim that Trump has truly reversed the structural trends and advantages China has spent decades building. But it is undeniable that Xi is experiencing an unexpected loss of control and agency.”
—“After the Trump-Xi summit, China, not America, is on the back foot,” John Lee, The Hill
Unstable stability
“For Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the 43 hours that President Donald Trump was in Beijing was plenty of time to score diplomatic points while conceding nothing to his U.S. rival.
“There were no major breakthroughs and few agreements, but there weren’t any blunders, and the frictionless summit brought China closer to a more stable footing in its most important—and often volatile—bilateral relationship….
“The absence of tangible outcomes also has risk, leaving plenty of issues unresolved, particularly on trade. Without concrete agreements, experts said, it’s unclear what exactly is stabilizing the relationship.”
—“Xi, in summit victory, projected stability and conceded nothing to Trump,” The Washington Post
Reminders from Taipei
“US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping….
“In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement last night that arms sales to Taiwan are not only a clear security commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act, but also a form of collective deterrence against regional threats.
“It thanked Trump for his continued support for security in the Taiwan Strait since his first term, adding that close Taiwan-US cooperation has long been a cornerstone of stability in the region.
“The statement also said Taiwan is a sovereign and independent democracy, and that China’s military threat remains the region’s primary source of insecurity.”
—“Trump weighs Taiwan arms package,” Taipei Times
Stalemate
“Kuo Yu-jen, vice president of the Institute for National Policy Research, …emphasized the lack of a major breakthrough at the summit, referring to it as ‘largely expected’ given the structural nature of U.S.-China rivalry.
“ ’The absence of a clear conclusion was itself the conclusion,’ Kuo said, adding that both Washington and Beijing currently appeared more focused on preventing tensions from escalating rather than resolving their core disputes.”
—“Taiwan should closely watch U.S. policy despite no stated changes: Experts,” Focus Taiwan
Relationships
“The summit may ultimately be remembered as the moment when Trump recognized a shifting power dynamic, where an American president had the rare and uncomfortable experience of entering a meeting clearly overmatched.
“ ’I think the most important thing is relationship,’ Trump said in the interview, describing the summit as ‘historic.’
“ ’It’s all about relationship,’ he added. ‘I have a very good relationship with President Xi.’ ”…
“Still, the lack of breakthroughs may come as a relief to some in Washington. Trump appears to have held to a long-standing U.S. line on Taiwan, for now, refusing to provide Xi with clarity on whether the United States would defend the self-ruled island if China tries to reclaim it by force….
“Whether Trump will proceed with arms sales to Taiwan—passed by Congress and obligated by law under the Taiwan Relations Act—is still an open question.
“ ’If you kept it the way it is, I think China is going to be OK with that,’ Trump said, referencing an ambiguous status quo around Taiwan’s status, ‘but we’re not looking to have somebody say, “Let’s go independent because the United States is backing us.” ’ ”
—“Trump spent two days with Xi in Beijing. Was he outplayed?” Los Angeles Times
Confident China, Doubt-Wracked United States
“The Beijing that greeted Trump is oozing self-confidence. Commuters cram into smooth-running subway trains and find just enough room to scroll through slick social media apps. Designer labels from around the world populate luxury shopping malls. The magnificent National Centre for the Performing Arts rests like a titanium and glass boiled egg in an artificial lake. The National Museum on Tiananmen Square shows off the latest advances in green energy, robotics and space exploration and proclaims: ‘Forging the path to national strength.’
“America, meanwhile, is plagued by self-doubt over its internal divisions and external misadventures.”
—“Pomp, pageantry but precious little to show for Trump’s Beijing excursion,” The Guardian
Xi’s Vibe-Triumph
“US President Donald Trump’s visit to China this week may have been short on immediate deals addressing frictions over tech and trade. But there’s little question that Chinese leader Xi Jinping will be viewing it as a resounding success.
“Beijing didn’t need big tangible outcomes to achieve major wins, like projecting China as an equal to the US on the global stage, and directing the tone of the relationship—including around Taiwan.
“Trump’s visit appears to have delivered on both.”
—“Trump’s Beijing visit was more vibes than details. And Xi set the tone,” CNN
