The Guardian view on Trump and Xi: a show of friendship, but no real attempt to address the tensions | Editorial

The Chinese leader's visit to Washington did little to improve the stagnant bilateral relations. Two weeks later, two more high-profile Chinese visitors are set to arrive in the US – envoys of friendship, as Xi Jinping described them during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. The pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, have been hosted at the Atlanta zoo since Beijing sent the first pair to the US in 1972 following President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.

The country uses the animals to display its satisfaction or dissatisfaction with other nations. However, Beijing charges a hefty fee for their lease – about $1m per pair annually. Americans' views of China have warmed since the beginning of the pandemic, but it is doubtful that two animals, no matter how endearing they are, will significantly change their perception.

In fact, these pandas are more of a token gesture than a powerful symbol. It is evident that the announcement was one of the main takeaways of Mr Xi's visit to Washington. Although expectations were low following the stalemate summit in Beijing, this meeting failed to meet even those modest expectations. President Trump welcomed Mr Xi lavishly, traveling to meet the "strong, vibrant, and fit" Chinese leader off the plane. He claimed that they had "never gotten along better" than they did during this visit.