US President Donald Trump chose to conclude the visit of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to Washington, on Friday, with a stop where politics and history mix. He took him to the US National Archives, where founding documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are preserved, along with materials documenting prominent milestones in US-Chinese relations.
This stop came after a day of arduous negotiations and a lavish official dinner at the White House, laden with a great deal of symbolism. Trump wanted to show his guest what he described as “the treasures of American history,” while the tour included documents related to the history of relations between the two countries and aspects of cultural exchange between the two peoples.
Reuters pointed out that the attention of some analysts was focused in particular on the documents related to Washington's decision in 1979 to transfer its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, at a time when the Taiwan issue once again topped the list of the most sensitive files in the two presidents' talks.
Thus, the visit to the National Archives seemed to be an extension of the language that characterized the state visit, which is based on invoking history to contain the differences of the present. Neither Trump nor anyone emerged from the summit with a major settlement that would put an end to the trade, technological, and strategic competition between the two largest economies in the world, but they sought to show that this competition can be managed, and that the personal relationship between them may provide a political umbrella to prevent the differences from sliding into open confrontation.
Trump said that he and his Chinese counterpart have made progress that is in the interest of the United States and China. He told reporters while drinking tea at the White House in the presence of his wife, Melania, and President Xi and his wife: “I think we have made tremendous strides and made great strides, which is a very positive thing for both countries.”
In turn, Xi indicated the possibility of holding two additional meetings with his American counterpart this year. “For the rest of this year, there will be two more opportunities to meet: the first during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in China, and the second during the G20 summit in the United States,” he said through a translator, adding: “I welcome your visit to China, Mr. President and First Lady.”
Variation in attendance
On Thursday evening, Trump and First Lady Melania hosted a dinner for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, amid a thoughtful mix of American traditions and Chinese symbolism. Melania personally supervised the preparation of the dinner, which brought together the two official delegations to a prominent group of business and technology leaders. Trump added a personal touch to the state banquet when he presented Xi with a statue of an eagle, the national symbol of the United States.
The absence of Chinese businessmen from the visit was notable, revealing a stark contrast to the heavy presence of American business giants at the official dinner. Of the 134 names on the list of invitees to the lavish official banquet held by the White House, only 19 people were part of the Chinese delegation, which led to divided expert opinions about the reasons for this clear disparity.
Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute, told Agence France-Presse: “In my opinion, this simply reflects the fact that the priority of Xi and China is not trade or business deals, but rather making the visit a success, at least in terms of the public image.”
He added: “If trade was a top priority, they would have taken top business leaders with them.”
In addition to President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, the Chinese delegation included his close aide Cai Qi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, and chief trade negotiator He Lifeng.
On the American side, the prestigious evening was attended by prominent figures such as Tim Cook from Apple, Lisa Su from Advanced Micro Devices, the memory chip giant, and Jensen Huang from Nvidia, which was banned from exporting its best semiconductors to China. The invitation was also directed to technology sector icons such as Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman from OpenAI, and Jeff Bezos, in addition to Elon Musk.
Freeze controversial files
Behind the exceptional reception that Washington extended to the Chinese guest over three days, the talks showed the limits of rapprochement between the two sides, especially in the files of trade, customs duties, rare metals, technology, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and Iran. No “major deal” emerged from the summit that would resolve controversial issues or bring viewpoints closer together. The most notable achievement was the extension of the trade truce for an additional two months.
Treasury Secretary Scott Besent confirmed the extension of the trade truce until January 10, 2027, postponing the return of the escalation in tariffs, while negotiations continue on the more complex issues.
Reuters described the outcome of the talks and the state visit as a visit rich in symbolism, but limited in terms of major breakthroughs. It was considered that the most important result of the summit was that Washington and Beijing did not resolve the trade war. Rather, they froze its escalation. Tariffs still exist, the dispute over Chinese industrial policies has not ended, American restrictions on advanced technology remain, and China maintains a very strong card in its control over key parts of the rare earth supply chain. Therefore, extending the truce does not resolve the differences, but it temporarily prevents the two sides from testing the limits of the harm that each can inflict on the other.
Amr Mansour, a researcher specializing in Chinese foreign policy, believes that President Xi followed a pragmatic approach during the visit by proposing the principle of managing differences between the two sides instead of denying them, and emphasizing that it is in the interest of both countries to accept the existence of a space of responsible competition away from mutual escalation.
Mansour continued, in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, that “the enthusiasm shown by Trump during the reception ceremony is an attempt to create a constructive atmosphere, especially after the extension of the trade truce between the two countries.” He added: “The US President’s interest in putting artificial intelligence on the negotiating table reflects the overlapping economic, security, and propaganda dimensions of this file, in which the United States sees a symbol of its technological superiority and leadership in the future economy, while China sees it as a continuation of its economic rise, an affirmation of its worthiness for its global standing, and an opportunity to strengthen its network of international partnerships.”
