Grand Display for Xi Reveals Limits of Trump’s Summitry

“Expectations were low entering President Trump’s meetings with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, this week, after officials on both sides tempered hopes for a breakthrough. Yet the summit’s stark lack of substance surprised even the closest China watchers,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“It was a visual affair designed to project a new phase of managed competition between a prevailing superpower and a rising one — a message that Washington and Beijing are ultimately capable of responsible leadership. But even a cursory look beneath the surface revealed the challenges ahead for the world’s most consequential bilateral relationship.”

And then there’s this: “Trump repeatedly patted Xi on the back, a gesture considered highly inappropriate in Chinese political culture.”