If this felt familiar, that’s because it was.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US leader Donald Trump slipped back into something resembling their old rhythm in Beijing — warm words, easy praise, and a heavy emphasis on personal rapport.
Trump called Xi a “great leader.” Xi said the two countries should be “partners, not rivals.” At moments, it had echoes of the headier days of their relationship in 2017.
But the backdrop has dramatically shifted.
Back then, the pageantry masked tensions that were just beginning to surface. Today, those strains define the relationship, even as the tone at the top remains cordial.
That contrast played out in real time. Xi raised the “Thucydides trap” — which refers to the risk of war when a rising power threatens to displace an established one — casting the ties in historic terms. He proposed a “constructive, strategic and stable relationship.”
Trump leaned into the personal connection, saying problems between the two sides had always been resolved quickly.
But even before the more than two hour-long meeting had finished, the issue of Taiwan quickly cut through that warmth.
While the two leaders were still speaking, Chinese state media published Xi’s remarks to Trump calling Taiwan the most important issue in the US-China relationship and explicitly warning Trump that mishandling it could lead to conflict.
Still, both sides are keen to keep things working, even if only at the surface level. Xi greeted Trump at the Great Hall of the People with a full state welcome, featuring red carpet, honor guard, flag-waving children and a 21-gun salute.
And there’s a heavy dose of pragmatism on display. Xi shook hands with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was permitted as part of Trump’s delegation despite being sanctioned by Beijing.
The economic agenda is another reminder of that practical diplomacy.
Trump once promised sweeping changes to China’s economy. Now the focus is narrower, preserving a fragile truce and boosting US exports like planes and soybeans, while avoiding escalation after Beijing last year threatened to cut off supply of critical rare earths.
US beef exporters look like an early winner, with China renewing import licenses for hundreds of American plants.
A delegation representing roughly $20 trillion in market value — from Nvidia to Boeing — is in town, with CEOs already interacting with Chinese counterparts and Xi telling them China will open its economy further.
For now, it’s all smiles and platitudes. The next few months will tell if the relationship once again goes off the rails. — Rebecca Choong Wilkins