President Xi Dominates US-China Summit, But Trump Has His Winning Cards

The September 24 summit between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping in Washington, D.C. did not result in significant progress on resolving trade issues, the future of AI, the conflicts in West Asia, or Taiwan's future. However, the friendly atmosphere between the two leaders set the stage for a mutual understanding that the world's two largest powers will cooperate to restore global peace.

The summit followed up on discussions held in May at Beijing. Both leaders are set to meet again during the G-20 summit in Miami, hosted by U.S. President Trump. There is a possibility that the outcomes of the Washington summit will be further discussed at the Miami meeting.

President Xi Jinping initiated the discussions and presented several original proposals. In contrast, Trump mainly reacted to Xi's suggestions but did not provide any novel ideas during the talks. The only exception was Trump reiterating the U.S. stance on the ongoing issues. President Xi, at the start of the summit, proposed that cooperation in achieving China's "great rejuvenation" and the U.S.'s "Making America Great Again" agenda could go hand in hand, a thought that resonated with Trump as he seeks votes for his candidates in the upcoming mid-term elections based on his "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) program.

While the summit raised concerns among some U.S. Democrats, such as Bernie Sanders and Rashida Tlaib, Xi did not heed their criticisms, focusing solely on maximizing the benefits of his relationship with Trump. In his speech, Xi stressed the importance of having the U.S. as a partner rather than a competing superpower. This shift in perspective reflects Xi's belief that China's economic growth can accelerate more in a peaceful and cooperative environment with the U.S.