Big meet, little meat: the Trump-Xi summit
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Economist. Hello and welcome to the Intelligence from The Economist. I'm Jason Palmer.
Today on the show, How a British Right Wing Influencer is Influencing American Politics, and a tribute to Bob Mackey, dressmaker to the stars. First up though.
So much of diplomacy is the orchestrated little stuff. Who stands where on the stage? Whose hand is in front during a handshake? Yesterday Donald Trump went big on a little thing. Where to meet Xi Jinping. It's been sixty-four years since a sitting president met a foreign leader as they deplained. It was all pageantry from there. Military band and cannon fire and flyovers and those big guns with the bayonets and stuff. Mr Trump, it seems, loves this kind of thing. And it's sort of telling he wanted to lay it on so thick ahead of their meeting. Here's pretty much the most detailed summary currently available on how it went.
We had a great meeting.
They had a great meeting. There was so much to discuss. So what came of it?
There has been a great show of goodwill between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Xi called for peaceful coexistence between the two countries, a lot more cooperation for the business world, cooperation on AI.
Simon Rabinovich is our Beijing bureau chief.
President Trump, for his part, said that the two countries had never gotten along better. But the truth is that beyond some nice words and an awful lot of pomp and ceremony, the actual outcomes of the summit look to have been extremely meager.
So what were you expecting? What do you think people in general were expecting from this summit going into it?
Well, I think it's important to step back for a second to remember that although there's very positive mood music right now between America and China, they are still in the midst of a trade war, which dates back to the start of Donald Trump's first term in office. And last year it looked like they were headed for a total rupture in economic terms with tariffs on each other of more than triple digits. Now they've been in a basic truce since October
What were the main outcomes of the Trump‑Xi summit and why did they seem underwhelming?
Of last year. And there had been hopes that this year might bring bigger breakthroughs in the bilateral relationship. This summit in Washington is the second of a possible four meetings between the leaders this year. Trump came to Beijing in May. Of course, Xi Jinping is in Washington right now. And it's possible they'll be seeing each other again in November and in December. So there had been hope that this year. might prove to be a hinge point where things get to a more stable path for the two great superpowers.
But there's a lot of stumbling blocks in that path. What did they talk about this time around?
The single most important outcome, and it is important, although it was widely expected, is that the truce between the two countries has been extended, the trade truce. They will not be racing to raise tariffs on each other. China will be continuing to export rare earths, key group of critical minerals to America needed for American industry. That will continue as well. Now, unfortunately, the two countries still have a lot to disagree. Agree about. So there had been some talk about the idea that China would like that truce to be extended for the duration of Trump's second term. As a matter of fact, the truce expires in November and they've only agreed to extend it for two months. So there will be a lot more trade talks between the two countries over the next little while.
There were two other big categories of discussion. One is AI and whether the two countries can find some way to manage the risks that are facing not just them, but all of humanity. And the other is security and specifically China pushing for America to oppose Taiwanese independence and seeing whether or not they have a chance to get Donald Trump to agree to something which previous US presidents would not agree to.
And so where do things stand on those two counts on AI and defense?
On AI, they've agreed to have a dialogue. In some ways, that's nothing new. In fact, even under the Biden administration, there were already talks on AI between the two countries taking place.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:03–2:43
2
What were the main outcomes of the Trump‑Xi summit and why did they seem underwhelming?
2:43–10:43
3
How did the leaders extend the trade truce and what does it mean for rare‑earth exports?
10:43–17:28
4
What agreements were reached on AI cooperation and why is it still a competition?
17:28–20:39
5
How did China press the United States on Taiwan and what was Trump’s response?
20:39–23:36
6
Who is Tommy Robinson and how has his anti‑Islam message reached American MAGA circles?
23:36–27:03