USA: little diplomatic progress despite the Trump-Xi Jinping meeting

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in Washington for highly anticipated talks between the leaders of the world’s two largest powers.

Despite an especially lavish welcome given to the Chinese president, few concrete diplomatic advances were announced at the end of the talks.

The American president notably welcomed Xi Jinping on his arrival, before giving him a tour of the presidential helicopter and offering him a statue representing a bald eagle. The two leaders, however, spent less than two hours in direct talks.

A meeting that was above all symbolic

For Bates Gill, a researcher at the National Bureau of Asian Research, the meeting was primarily intended to show that Donald Trump could organize a high-level summit with a power he considers a leading interlocutor. The expert also points to the lack of preparation beforehand to achieve major diplomatic results.

One advance was nevertheless recorded on the trade front. Washington and Beijing extended their fragile trade truce by two months, which was due to expire in November. This easing had notably made it possible to reduce certain American tariffs and lift Chinese restrictions on exports of rare earths.

Persisting deep disagreements

Differences remain important, however, on several strategic issues. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping notably display different approaches to the regulation of artificial intelligence.

Tensions also persist over Taiwan and Iran, confirming that despite the stated desire to maintain dialogue, the rivalry between Washington and Beijing remains intact.