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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

Xi-Trump summit yields wins for both China and US despite lack of breakthroughs

The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump marks symbolic reset in power balance between rivals

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting in Busan, South Korea on Thursday. Photo: AP
Shi Jiangtao
The first in-person summit between Chinese and American leaders since US President Donald Trump’s return to office marked a symbolic reset in the balance of power between the two rivals, yielding a time-bound agreement to pause escalation in their intensifying trade conflict.
From freezing new tariffs and rare earth export controls to resuming key US agricultural exports and pledging cooperation on Ukraine, both sides achieved tactical de-escalation in the Thursday meeting, allowing each to claim a win despite a lack of strategic breakthroughs, according to observers.

For Trump, fresh from signing critical minerals pacts with Japan and South Korea and nearing the end of an Asia tour aimed at reasserting American influence in the Indo-Pacific, the summit offered a chance to project strength and leadership on the global stage.

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He hailed his “great success” in the 100-minute meeting with President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea – their first encounter since 2019 – while describing his Chinese counterpart as “a well-respected great leader” and a “good” friend of many years.

Notably, Trump referred to China as “the biggest partner of the United States” and earlier in the day framed the talks as a “G2 summit”, signalling a recognition of Beijing as Washington’s peer as a superpower.

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Xi, having just concluded the Communist Party’s fourth plenum, also projected confidence. He arrived with a renewed mandate for China to achieve technological self-reliance and become a global maritime power amid slowing growth and internal pressures.

“We have no intention to challenge or supplant anyone. Our focus has always been on managing China’s own affairs well,” he told Trump, according to state news agency Xinhua.

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