Trump in Beijing: pomp, pageantry, and power
Trump's visit to China delivered few concrete outcomes, but highlighted Taiwan tensions and shifting perceptions of power between Washington and Beijing
Welcome back to What’s Happening in China, your weekly China brief.
While some praised the summit as a successful exercise in stability maintenance and relationship building, others saw a weakened and passive United States. A surprisingly docile Trump, accompanied by an entourage of government officials and business leaders, was in Beijing this week for a visit that delivered few concrete outcomes but plenty of pomp and pageantry.
In the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, Trump was welcomed at Beijing Capital Airport by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, flanked by two rows of children waving flags in carefully choreographed enthusiasm. The two-day visit included a lavish state banquet at the Great Hall of the People and a tour of the Temple of Heaven. Xi Jinping did not give Trump a “big, fat hug,” but he did show him centuries-old trees during a garden stroll at the ultra-private Zhongnanhai and agreed to send Trump rose seeds as a gift.
The talks touched on Iran…
