The American and Chinese Presidents, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, reached consensus on several issues during two days of talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, as Trump paid a state visit to China. According to the Chinese report of the meeting, they agreed to establish a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability” as the new framework for bilateral relations. The trade teams of both countries “reached an overall balanced and positive outcome” during their discussions.
But President Xi warned that Taiwan “is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations”, adding that, if handled poorly, “the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into a very dangerous place”. China will mainly judge the U.S. commitment “not to support” Taiwan independence by the level of arms sales to Taipei. The Trump Administration approved a USD11 billion arms package late last year, drawing condemnation from Beijing. Another package worth around USD14 billion is awaiting final approval from Trump, who has delayed a decision for months. Trump said he was “not looking to have somebody go independent” or to send U.S. troops “9,500 miles to fight a war”. But he also reiterated that the U.S. policy on Taiwan remained unchanged. Trump added: “I think we’ll be fine, [Xi] doesn’t want to see a war.” Bonny Lin, Senior Adviser and Director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told a think tank panel that “China takes Taiwan as the most important bilateral issue, and if it’s not handled well, whatever the two sides agree on will be at risk”.
The Chinese President expressed the hope that the U.S. and China “would be able to transcend the Thucydides Trap and forge a new paradigm for great power relations”. Xi said Beijing’s door “to the outside world will only open wider and American companies will enjoy even brighter prospects in China”. The two leaders exchanged views on major international and regional issues, including the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean peninsula.
President Trump invited Xi for a state visit to Washington around September 24. The White House commented that Trump and Xi “had a good meeting”, where they discussed enhancing economic cooperation, expanding market access for U.S. businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment. They also agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open. They “highlighted the need to build on progress in ending the flow of fentanyl precursors into the United States, as well as increasing Chinese purchases of American agricultural products”. Xi told Trump that the vision to “Make America Great Again” could coexist with “China’s great rejuvenation”.
Trump told his Chinese counterpart: “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true. I only say the truth,” adding that “the relationship between China and the U.S. is going to be better than ever before.” President Xi said that a stable China-U.S. relationship is a boon for the world. Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both. We should be partners and not rivals.” “All I can say is that was a great success. It was fantastic, we made great deals,” Trump said.
On the second day of the visit, Xi invited Trump to the Zhongnanhai leadership compound, site of the offices of the Chinese Communist Party and government and of Xi’s private residence. For decades, the compound has been among China’s most secretive sites. “Washington and Beijing both appear eager to cast the meeting as a historically important moment,” said Xie Maosong, Senior Researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University. He said the “rare access” Trump had been given to Zhongnanhai showed both how much importance Xi placed on U.S.-China relations and could help him “forge a closer personal bond that is vital to broader bilateral ties” with the American President. Gao Zhikai, a former interpreter for Deng Xiaoping who is now a Professor at Soochow University, rated the visit “9.99 out of 10” for restoring relations.
Zhao Minghao, Deputy Director of the Center for American Studies at Shanghai’s Fudan University, cautioned about the structural tensions still shaping the relationship beneath the surface. “This new concept of a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability is aspirational, but it is not where the relationship actually is right now. The real test is how the two powers find ways to cooperate constructively within an inherently competitive relationship,” he said.
On May 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to pay a one-day visit to Beijing. This overview is based on reports by the China Daily, Global Times and South China Morning Post.
