Wall Street Journal Exclusive: Xi Jinping needs five hours of rest during his visit to the United States, and the White House arranges a dedicated lounge
Quick Look
- The Wall Street Journal exclusively disclosed that during the Trump-Xi summit, China requested that Xi Jinping be given a five-hour rest period and a dedicated lounge be arranged in the White House.
- Only his wife Peng Liyuan could accompany him, and other delegation members were not allowed to enter.
- The report pointed out that Xi Jinping's physical condition has caused concern, and his schedule is mainly based on the need for rest, including details such as refusing to have a working lunch together and visiting the National Archives for only ten minutes.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Trump-Xi Summit is an important diplomatic interaction between the leaders of China and the United States and has always attracted international attention. The visit was originally scheduled to include formal arrangements such as a working lunch, but China adjusted the itinerary citing the need for rest.
The Wall Street Journal exclusively disclosed on the 2nd that during the summit between US President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in September, China made an unusual request: to reserve a five-hour rest period for Xi Jinping and arrange a dedicated rest room in the White House, which rarely revealed the physical condition of the 73-year-old Xi Jinping.
The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that China requires the U.S. to prepare a private lounge in the West Wing of the White House for Xi Jinping to rest between activities, and it can only be used by his wife Peng Liyuan. Other members of the Chinese delegation, including Cai Qi, director of Xi Jinping's General Office, are not allowed to enter.
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Xi needs time to rest and refuses to arrange lunch together
About a month before the summit, the Chinese advance team rejected the arrangement for Sichuan and Xi to have a working lunch together on September 24, on the grounds that they wanted to give Xi more time to rest. For this purpose, a gap of approximately five hours was left on the summit agenda. Of Xi's two-day visit, the 24th was the only complete day.
Wade Ning, director of China affairs at the National Security Council during the Bush administration, who was responsible for arranging three state visits, said that the arrangement of the lounge was unprecedented and "unusual" and that the substantive talks at the summit were "surprisingly" short. The meeting started near noon and ended after noon. After Xi left the White House, he did not attend the state banquet until the evening.
In addition, Xi Jinping had no scheduled activities on the night of his arrival, and his visit to the U.S. National Archives on the last day of his visit only lasted about ten minutes, which was far shorter than the U.S. originally planned. Sources said that Xi's team arranged the itinerary based on how long he could stand, how far he could walk, and his need for rest. Although the fourteen-hour flight and the time difference were enough to explain some of the itinerary adjustments, it still aroused concern. At the BRICS summit in India in early September, Xi missed the dinner due to physical discomfort.
Another sign is that Xi acted cautiously: when he walked down the ramp of the special plane on the day of arrival, he held Peng Liyuan tightly with one hand and held on to the handrail with the other hand; on the 25th, he also held Peng Liyuan's hand when he walked up the stairs of the National Archives, seemingly relying on her for support. China's state-run media cut out relevant footage from prime-time news.
Open Questions
- What is the medical basis for Xi Jinping’s specific rest arrangements?
- Does the White House offer similar dedicated lounges to other foreign leaders?
- Will this itinerary adjustment affect the depth of discussions on the substantive issues at the summit?
