Fanfare surrounds Trump-Xi summit at White House, but no breakthroughs expected
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a state dinner and bilateral talks in Washington, focusing on major power relations despite ongoing tensions. While both leaders emphasized the importance of their relationship, no major policy breakthroughs were announced.
Why it matters
The summit underscores the complex and often strained diplomatic and economic relationship between the world's two largest economies.
The two leaders and their wives attended a state dinner, a black-tie affair of sesame-crusted sea bass and a guest list heavy with tech CEOs. Outside the gate, a group of loud protesters shouted slogans like "China out of Hong Kong" that were clearly audible to the leaders as they posed for pictures on the red-carpeted White House steps.
In his dinner toast, Trump said he and Xi "both understand we represent different systems but the ties between our people endure and we’ve never gotten along better."
Trump then invited dinner guests to tour the site of the new ballroom he is building nearby, hours after showing Xi a helipad he had had built in the White House complex. Construction projects are a frequent digression for a president who has put a lot of focus on remaking Washington's physical infrastructure.
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