Trump Leaves Beijing with Few Wins, Many Warm Words for Xi

The optics were always going to be favorable when Donald Trump met Xi Jinping in Beijing. Two powerful leaders, each with their own brand of bombast, huddled together over plates of Peking duck and gold. But as the American president departed China on Friday, it was clear that Trump’s visit yielded few tangible results and plenty of warm words for his Chinese counterpart.

The business deals touted by Trump – reportedly worth billions – offered little to get excited about. These agreements had been years in the making, courtesy of diligent diplomacy on both sides, and will likely take years to bear fruit. The markets were understandably underwhelmed; stocks barely budged on news of the deals, a testament to investor skepticism over their potential impact.

Beijing’s parting shots at Washington offered a more telling glimpse into the state of US-China relations. The Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the United States against provoking and confronting China on Taiwan, a veiled threat that suggests Xi is growing increasingly uneasy with Trump’s rhetoric towards the island democracy. Beijing also reaffirmed its support for Iran, despite expressing “regret” over the conflict between the two nations – a curious formulation that can only be read as a rebuke of US policy.

Some have framed Trump’s trip as a success because he managed to keep his cool in the face of Xi’s characteristic bluster. However, this misreads the situation altogether. Trump has always been more skilled at playing the diplomat than producing real results. It was unrealistic to expect that he’d emerge from these talks with something tangible to show for it.

The two nations are already mired in a trade war that shows little signs of abating, and Trump’s antics have done nothing to alleviate tensions on the Korean Peninsula. With midterm elections looming in November, Trump will be desperate to trumpet any sort of victory – even if it’s just a PR win.

Xi’s warning over Taiwan has significant implications for US-China relations. The island issue has been a point of contention for decades, and it’s hard not to see Xi’s caution as a sign that Trump’s bluster has finally caught up with him.

The real takeaway from this trip is that both nations are still stuck in a cycle of posturing and aggression. The question now is whether either side is willing or able to shift gears and work towards some sort of lasting resolution. Until then, it’s business as usual: words aplenty, but results few and far between.

As tensions on the Korean Peninsula continue to simmer, and Washington’s trade war with China continues to escalate, the world can’t help but wonder what the future holds for these two superpowers. Can they find a way to put aside their differences and work towards some sort of mutually beneficial outcome – or will it be more of the same: endless rhetoric, few results, and an awful lot of noise?