Trump and Xi Seek Stability Despite Deep Divides | WSJ

TL;DR

Trump and Xi exchanged warm rhetoric in Beijing but face unresolved tensions over Taiwan, trade, and China's deepening grip on global supply chains.

Key Points

• 1.Trump and Xi projected mutual warmth while pursuing modest goals. Trump publicly praised Xi as a 'great leader' and Xi reciprocated by emphasizing US-China relations; after nine years, Trump's original aim of restructuring China's economy has scaled back to seeking a slight rebalance.
• 2.Deep divides remain, especially on Taiwan. Xi is expected to pressure Trump to pull back US commitments — including arms sales and rhetorical support for Taiwan's de facto independence — issues unlikely to be resolved in just one or two days of talks.
• 3.A large business delegation and upcoming summits signal continued engagement. Trump brought Tim Cook (Apple), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and Elon Musk; Marco Rubio attended under a different Chinese name to avoid sanctions; Xi is expected to visit the US in fall, with two multilateral meetings also planned before year-end.