Xi-Trump summit
Posted: Sat May 16, 2026 8:48 pmI like to read the local newspaper on the weekends (I read the paper version like an old man). Sometimes you have to be in the right mood for these things but I found an article (by Lisa Visentin and Michael Koziol) on this recent summit quite insightful. I’ve copied some relevant paragraphs here to start the discussion on this topic:
‘China has endured for thousands of years - a measure by which the American empire is a recent phenomenon, and one Xi believes is in decline. If Trump picked up on the messaging, he gave little away, keeping himself on an uncharacteristically tight leash with his public remarks throughout the summit.’
‘These kinds of highly billed proceedings rarely land consequential outcomes themselves or change the fundamentals of bilateral relationships, and are designed as much to send messages to their domestic audiences as they are to the world.’
‘As the two men strolled through Zhongnanhai, a travelling US reporter was cut off by Chinese minders for trying to lob a question. “No questions,” the reporter was told, when he asked if he was enjoying the visit. Trump responded with a thumbs-up. Xi has not taken a question from the press since 2017.’
‘Xi unveiled a new framing for the China-US relationship as one based on “constructive strategic stability”, which state media said was meant to “provide strategic guidance for the next three years and beyond”. In the tepid language of Communist Party speak, it may sound underwhelming, but China analysts will spend considerable time unpacking it as Beijing rarely throws out new declarative statements.’
‘To Americans, China came across in this summit as economically permissive but politically hardball. Trump signed off on a $US11 billion arms package to Taiwan last year, infuriating China, which regards the island democracy as its own territory. A further $US14 billion in weapon sales is awaiting Trump’s approval, and Xi was expected to press him to delay or withhold it during their summit talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America’s Taiwan policy remained “unchanged” in an interview with NBC from the sidelines of the summit.’
I don’t envy the task ahead for the political strategists! A different article seemed to sum it up best:
‘You’d have to be as flexible as Houdini to figure out how the conservative parties might undo the knots into which they have tied themselves.’
Are we on the brink of some really big ‘Warz’ (as foretold by that recent Warp playlist)? Or was it all just optics?
‘China has endured for thousands of years - a measure by which the American empire is a recent phenomenon, and one Xi believes is in decline. If Trump picked up on the messaging, he gave little away, keeping himself on an uncharacteristically tight leash with his public remarks throughout the summit.’
‘These kinds of highly billed proceedings rarely land consequential outcomes themselves or change the fundamentals of bilateral relationships, and are designed as much to send messages to their domestic audiences as they are to the world.’
‘As the two men strolled through Zhongnanhai, a travelling US reporter was cut off by Chinese minders for trying to lob a question. “No questions,” the reporter was told, when he asked if he was enjoying the visit. Trump responded with a thumbs-up. Xi has not taken a question from the press since 2017.’
‘Xi unveiled a new framing for the China-US relationship as one based on “constructive strategic stability”, which state media said was meant to “provide strategic guidance for the next three years and beyond”. In the tepid language of Communist Party speak, it may sound underwhelming, but China analysts will spend considerable time unpacking it as Beijing rarely throws out new declarative statements.’
‘To Americans, China came across in this summit as economically permissive but politically hardball. Trump signed off on a $US11 billion arms package to Taiwan last year, infuriating China, which regards the island democracy as its own territory. A further $US14 billion in weapon sales is awaiting Trump’s approval, and Xi was expected to press him to delay or withhold it during their summit talks. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America’s Taiwan policy remained “unchanged” in an interview with NBC from the sidelines of the summit.’
I don’t envy the task ahead for the political strategists! A different article seemed to sum it up best:
‘You’d have to be as flexible as Houdini to figure out how the conservative parties might undo the knots into which they have tied themselves.’
Are we on the brink of some really big ‘Warz’ (as foretold by that recent Warp playlist)? Or was it all just optics?
