Trump-Xi summit makes no breakthrough but avoids worse | Cash Call | Andrew Wong

Chinese President Xi Jinping has just concluded his visit to the United States. So, what major agreements were actually reached during this latest meeting between the two leaders? The answer is: very few, if any.

Of course, there were several notable details that attracted considerable attention. One was US President Donald Trump personally greeting Xi upon his arrival, something that is highly unusual. Trump also repeatedly emphasized his friendly relationship with Xi, leading many analysts to conclude that he is keen to repair ties with China. Yet the signals from the White House were more complicated. During the welcoming dinner, Trump arranged for a military band to perform One Day More from the musical Les Miserables. Even more tellingly, shortly after Xi left the United States, Trump immediately posted a video on social media titled “America Will Never Be a Communist Country.” These gestures suggest that while Trump was willing to publicly welcome Xi, his fundamental hostility toward China has not diminished. Against this backdrop, should the latest US-China summit really be viewed with such optimism?

In fact, following the meeting between the two leaders in Beijing in mid-May, US-China relations have not shown any meaningful improvement. More importantly, several international issues that both sides were concerned about – and had indicated they would work together to address – have shown little sign of progress. The continuing military confrontation between the United States and Iran, together with persistently high and rising oil prices, provides a clear example. Against this backdrop, the current state of US-China relations may be summed up rather simply: as long as bilateral ties do not deteriorate further, that in itself is already positive news for the global economy.

Of course, with the US midterm elections approaching, Trump is unlikely to want relations with China to deteriorate significantly in the short term. At the same time, with the Chinese Communist Party’s 21st National Congress scheduled for the fourth quarter of next year, Xi also has a considerable number of domestic issues to address beforehand. Beijing therefore has little incentive to allow relations with Washington to deteriorate either.

As a result, while this latest US-China summit may have fallen short of expectations for a significant improvement in bilateral ties, the more realistic outcome is that both sides will continue to maintain the current status quo. The fact that the two leaders have made state visits to each other’s countries within less than six months is, in itself, highly unusual by historical standards. More importantly, it suggests that despite their deep differences, both Washington and Beijing continue to regard maintaining a certain degree of engagement with the other side as necessary.

Andrew Wong is a veteran independent commentator

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