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Wall Street Journal

Trump and Chinese Circumstance

His summit with Xi had scant substance but made both leaders look larger than life.
 

walter_russell_mead
walter_russell_mead
Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship
Walter Russell Mead
US President Donald Trump greets President of China Xi Jinping as he arrives to the South Portico of the White House on September 25, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Caption
US President Donald Trump greets President of China Xi Jinping as he arrives to the South Portico of the White House on September 25, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)

“He loves good granite” is what President Trump said he learned during his summit with Xi Jinping.

If so, Mr. Xi didn’t see much to love during his visit to Washington. There was plenty of fluff but little hard agreement. The two superpowers will talk about the future of what they’ve agreed to call “superintelligence.” Messrs. Trump and Xi intend to meet twice more this year, during international gatherings scheduled for November and December. The trade truce has been extended until Jan. 10, with some mutual adjustments and concessions. There was a viewing of the portrait of Joe Biden’s autopen signature. Two giant pandas have landed in Atlanta.

Read in the Wall Street Journal.