Key takeaways from Trump’s China trip : NPR

BEIJING — After wrapping up his two-day visit to China, President Trump called the trip “incredible,” but while it was big on pageantry, it fell short on concrete agreements.

Still, Trump hailed business deals for American companies and farmers while Chinese leader Xi Jinping touted a new era for the stability of China-U.S. relations.

Trump headed back to the U.S. after having lunch with Xi at Zhongnanhai, a rare visit to the Beijing compound where top Chinese officials live and work.

“I think a lot of good has come from [this visit]. We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, good for both countries,” Trump said, sitting next to Xi with ornate tapestries as a backdrop.

Beans and Boeing

The White House hasn’t released a detailed account of the agreements in writing, but Trump in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News said China would be buying lots of soybeans and Boeing aircraft.

Trump announced China had agreed to order 200 jets – before equivocating.

“I sort of, I think it was a commitment. I mean, you know, it was sort of like a statement, but I think it was a commitment,” Trump added. “It’s a great thing. It’s a lot of jobs.”

China has yet to confirm these purchases.

This isn’t the first time Trump has announced trade deals with China, only to have them fall short.

China has not said whether it extracted specific deals from the U.S. side either but that is not unusual given that China sees a leaders’ meeting as a way to set the parameters for future discussions, according to Wu Xinbo, director of Fudan University’s Center for American Studies in Shanghai.

“They don’t necessarily go issue by issue,” Wu said.

The success of this trip for either side could take some time to come into focus.

Taiwan

China did bring up what it considers a red line – Taiwan, a self governing island Beijing claims as its own territory.

In a Chinese statement on the visit, Xi stressed that if the Taiwan question is mishandled by America it could put the stability of China-U.S. relations in “jeopardy.”

President Trump reviews an honor guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14 in Beijing.

Kenny Holston/Pool/Getty Images

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Kenny Holston/Pool/Getty Images

The U.S. readout did not mention Taiwan. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with NBC that Ü.S. policy on Taiwan remained “unchanged.”

He also said it would be a “terrible mistake” for China to take Taiwan by force.

Trump said Xi asked during his trip if the U.S. would defend Taiwan.

“I said I don’t talk about that,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back to the U.S.

Iran war

Both the U.S. and China say they discussed the conflict in the Middle East, though Trump went into more detail.

“We feel very similar about [how] we want it to end. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the straits open,” he said Friday.

Personal relationships

Throughout his visit Trump praised his Chinese counterpart, describing him in warm terms. Trump’s effusiveness, however, was not matched by Xi, whose public remarks stuck to the long-term relationship between the nations.

Trump even paid Xi one of his most classic compliments, describing him as being straight out of “central casting.”

“If you went to Hollywood and you looked for a leader of China to play a role in a movie…you couldn’t find a guy like him,” Trump said of Xi during his interview with Hannity. “Even as his physical features, you know, he’s tall, very tall, and, especially for this country because they tend to be a little bit shorter.”

For Trump, diplomacy is all about personal relationships, getting eye to eye with a leader and reaching an understanding or making a deal. It’s all part of Trump’s approach. He leads with his gut.

That couldn’t be more different from the Chinese approach, which is deliberate and meticulously planned.

“I think Xi is less effusive than Trump because he wants to be seen as having the upper hand,” said Dennis Wilder, a professor at Georgetown University, who was a top advisor on China to President George W. Bush.

Fudan University’s Wu noted personal relationships can only go so far.

“The most important thing is they respected [each other’s] national interests and also the responsibilities for both China and the United States to the rest of the world,” he said.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Zhongnanhai leadership compound on May 15 in Beijing.

Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/Getty Images)

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Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/Getty Images)

Garden diplomacy

At their last meeting on Friday the two leaders toured the gardens at Zhongnanhai, with Trump admiring the roses.

“These are the most beautiful roses anyone’s ever seen,” Trump said.

Xi said he would share some Chinese rose seeds for Trump to have planted in the White House Rose Garden.

Although many world leaders have traveled to Beijing in recent weeks, it’s unusual for them to go to the compound.

Xi said it was meant to reciprocate Trump’s hosting him at Mar-a-Lago during his first term.

“It means that [China attaches] great importance to this visit by President Trump to China,” said Wu. “It also reflects the positive personal relationship between [the] two leaders.”

Big on pageantry short on details

Many analysts had low expectations for this trip since Trump slapped sky high tariffs on Chinese exports last year when he returned to office.

But pageantry matters to the Chinese. And it is something Trump has made no secret about wanting.

Trump was feted with three ceremonies featuring choreographed flag waving from Chinese youth, brass band performances and soldiers in formation. Then there was a tour of the Temple of Heaven.

“The pomp and circumstance that the Chinese delegation prepared served … to indulge Trump’s belief that he is a leader of historical consequence, thereby making him further inclined to override advisors who advocate a more confrontational approach towards China,” said Ali Wyne at the International Crisis Group.

He said it also shows Trump how China’s power and confidence have grown since he visited almost a decade earlier.

Trump was also treated to a state banquet that included Beijing roast duck and pan-fried pork buns.

Wu, who attended the dinner banquet, said the food was delicious – though he didn’t see Trump eat much.

“He kept talking all the time [to Xi],” he said, adding that this is the warmest he’s seen U.S.-China relations in years. “I could tell [Trump] really enjoyed his exchanges with President Xi.”

Additional research by Jasmine Ling