As a rule, Donald Trump is the one with the most speaking time. At the official start of the state visit to Washington, it was Xi Jinping who spoke in the White House for a few minutes longer than the American president. At this point, the host had already warmly welcomed the Chinese president and emphasized the close relationship between the two men, which goes back a long way. Xi returned the measured tone. But he addressed Trump less personally than made it clear what his goals were when he traveled to Washington.
It was no surprise that Xi spoke of China and the United States as equals. His greeting of “1.4 billion Chinese” to the American people on the 250th anniversary of independence may have been a subtle reference to the sheer size of his country. The Chinese president repeated the formulation of the “constructive relationship of strategic stability,” which from Beijing's perspective also means that Washington refrains from challenging China on some issues. This was followed by a reference to the “closely intertwined interests” of both countries, which could be understood as both a rapprochement and a warning.
But Xi also expressed enough goodwill toward Trump so as not to alienate the president, who had personally welcomed him at the airport the day before. China's doors are "wide open" for American companies, and he hopes that Chinese companies will also be treated fairly. The President assured that he was ready to steer the huge ship of Chinese-American relations with Trump on a stable course into the future. “A confrontation is to both of our disadvantages.”
Trump makes a good face for evil
Even the lavish reception program could not hide how small the common denominator seems to be these days: with a flyover of a B-2 bomber and military displays in the newly concrete Rose Garden and on the newly completed helipad at the White House. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the day before the presidents' bilateral talks that they had agreed to extend the "ceasefire" in the tariff war between the two countries - but only for two months until January 10, 2027. The Chinese side had not met some expectations, said Bessent. We want to see whether that changes in the coming months.
It would be a thin conclusion if the extended customs break remained the only tangible agreement of the visit. But both sides expected it to be similar. Xi traveled to Washington without representatives of tech companies, even though, according to media reports, OpenAI boss Sam Altman, Apple boss Tim Cook and SpaceX founder Elon Musk were scheduled to take part in the state banquet that evening.
Despite many difficult issues with Beijing, Trump has chosen to put a good face on the bad side. While it has been promising a quick end to the war in Iran for months, China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and has sent 1,300 shipments of electronic components to the Iranian Defense Ministry that can be used in drones and missile systems, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal.
Xi wants to develop AI “for good”.
Trump also has a difficult time when it comes to artificial intelligence, in which China and the USA are considered the biggest competitors. He has declared the warnings from leading American AI companies that AI is developing too quickly to be ridiculous. But there are two groups who are not on his side: a majority of Americans who are concerned about AI and especially data centers. And those hawks in Congress who advocate a tougher approach towards Beijing.
After all, Trump spoke about an “urgent issue” at KI on Thursday. Decisions on this could promote “peace and prosperity for decades to come”. Xi, in turn, seemed to at least somewhat contradict the American president's carefree attitude in his speech. One must ensure that AI is “always under human control”. It must be developed “for the good”. In response to warnings from several leading AI developers in the US, Trump recently said that any criticism was a “conspiracy” that would only benefit China.
Trump's demonstratively pompous reception of the Chinese president may have at least two reasons: his admiration for “strong leaders,” including himself. And the fact that the United States needs Beijing to supply the important rare earths and permanent magnets that are processed almost exclusively in China. They were the reason that the American President had to exclude Xi from his widespread tariff war.
Solidarity with locked out journalists
It was noteworthy that Trump's first meeting with Xi on Thursday was not broadcast in the usual length on any of the major television networks. This was done in solidarity with the American media CNN, MS Now and Politico, which were temporarily banned from the White House grounds due to unpleasant reporting until a court order was issued in the afternoon.
After a bilateral conversation, a toast with a Schramsberg “Blanc de Noir” was planned for the state banquet that evening. The same sparkling wine that President Richard Nixon and Prime Minister Zhou Enlai drank in Beijing in 1972 when they agreed to normalize diplomatic relations. “In honor of the ‘Toast to Peace,’” as the White House statement said.
