Xi Jinping's state visit to the White House and the dispute over media access

Donald Trump, US President:

"He's an expert on stone, among many other things, and he loves good granite!"

The Chinese ruler probably did not expect this compliment from his supposed good friend. And on Xi Jinping's first visit to the White House in more than ten years, his host really came into his own.

Britta Kollenbroich, SPIEGEL:

»The importance this has for Donald Trump was shown on the first evening, when he and his wife flew out to the military airport to personally greet Xi Jinping and his wife after they landed. Normally the state guests land there, but the President stays here in the White House and then receives the guests here later. Of course, this welcoming ceremony also took place: with a military show and a flyover of fighter jets. And we saw a relaxed, good-humoured Donald Trump here, joking with Xi Jinping, showing him around the garden and showing him his new helipad.

For Donald Trump, the idea is that this meeting is just one of many meetings and that he will benefit from building a better, more intensive relationship with the Chinese president. Donald Trump probably liked it all the less that at times it wasn't so much about the state visit here in the White House, but rather about the question: Will there be TV pictures of it?

While the welcoming ceremony took place on one side of the White House, on the south lawn, here on the north side a number of journalists from CNN, "Politico" and MS Now did not come to the premises, even though a judge had ruled that night that the White House must grant the journalists access again. And out of solidarity, the other major television channels have continued to refrain from broadcasting images of the state visit here.

However, things are completely different in Beijing, says our correspondent:

Bernhard Zand, SPIEGEL:

»Here in China, many more people have certainly seen the pictures from this summit in Washington than in the USA. Because in such cases China always reports 360 degrees anyway, so to speak on all channels, on all frequencies, on all websites. China, on the other hand, got exactly the images that the Chinese leadership certainly wanted. Images that ultimately symbolize China and the USA, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are on the same level.

But, what's left after this whole show?

Bernhard Zand, SPIEGEL:

"There has been no significant breakthrough so far, neither on the important trade and economic issues, nor on the Taiwan question, nor on the question of artificial intelligence."

After all, two more meetings this year between Trump and Xi are within the realm of possibility.