Xi-Trump meet: big smiles, little progress

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump met during Xi's three-day state visit to the US, with both leaders displaying friendly smiles. The primary purpose of Xi's visit was to find common ground on trade disputes, AI, and broader strategic issues such as the Middle East war. Despite their efforts, deep mistrust between the two countries remains, stemming from their rivalry to become the world's dominant power.

During a lavish state banquet at the White House, Xi emphasized the need for China and the US to act as responsible major countries and meet the expectations of their peoples. Both leaders stressed the importance of closer cooperation between Washington and Beijing, vowing to build a constructive relationship of strategic stability.

However, little evidence of substantive progress was seen on key issues such as trade, AI, and the future of Taiwan. While the two leaders have met twice this year, including a previous meeting in May where they negotiated a trade truce, tensions between the two nations persist due to China's continued military and economic support for Russia and Iran.

Additionally, US intelligence is concerned about Beijing's attempts to acquire American AI technology, which could give China a commercial advantage in the race to become the dominant force in AI technology. Despite the short extension of the trade truce, both leaders agreed on the need to resolve key disputes such as tariffs, rare earth supplies, and access to advanced US chips in future negotiations.