Maxim Shemetov / EPA
Donald Trump with Xi Jinping during the US president’s visit to China
The fact that the two leaders understood each other, did not clash and agreed to continue the conversation may not seem like a great result. But in diplomacy, sometimes the fact that nothing happens is a good thing.
When Britain sent its first formal diplomatic mission to China in 1793, one of London’s envoys, Peter Auber, noted that the group had been “received with the utmost courtesy, treated with the utmost hospitality, watched with the utmost attention and invited to leave with the utmost civility”.
The mission, which aimed to open up trade and establish a permanent British embassy in Beijing, was marked by big device — but did not produce any tangible results.
Auber’s quote now came to mind Kerry Brown, professor at King’s College London, while attending the US president’s two-day state visit, Donald Trumpin China.
The Chinese President, Xi Jinpingopened the summit by welcoming his North American counterpart with warm words. The relationship between the two countries, he stated, was the “most consequential in the world”.
Xi added that make America great againin a reference to Trump’s political motto, was compatible with Chinese progress.
Trump was equally effusive in his praise for Xi. Writing on social media during the flight to Beijing, he stated that the Chinese President was “respected by everyone”. And when the two delegations sat down for direct talks, Trump told Xi: “He’s a great leader”.
But what did this visit actually achieve, beyond diplomatic words and mutual flattery?
One of Trump’s recurring objectives, both in his first and second periods in the White House, has been correct the trade imbalancel between the two powers, says Kerry Brown in an article on .
Figures for 2025 show that while the US sold China goods worth 106 billion US dollarspurchased products worth 308 billion dollars from Chinese exporters, which represents a trade deficit of around 200 billion of dollars — around 172 billion euros.
During Donald Trump’s previous visit to China, in 2017, soybeans were the product that Beijing agreed to buy in larger quantities from the USA. This time, the only major item was planes.
On May 14, Trump announced that China had agreed to order 200 planes from Boeing. However, Boeing shares fell 4% shortly after the announcement, because the order was below what many analysts expected.
Trump also said that China had, in principle, accepted to buy crude to the USA. However, when it comes to something significant for the CEOs of big technology companies who accompanied Trump to Beijing, including Elon Muskthat Tesla, Jensen Huangby Nvidia, and Tim Cookfrom Apple, it seems there hasn’t been any major progress.
China’s strategy to develop your own technology and capacity in this area is well known, with the Government’s recent 15th five-year plan defining the country’s commitment to innovation and its own national companies.
Cooperation between great powers
A more significant result of the visit emerged in the less tangible terrain of geopolitical management and cooperation between great powers. At the summit, Xi clearly stated that the world depends on the ability of China and the US to engage in pragmatic dialogue, even when they do not agree.
As statements about Taiwanin particular, were seen as a form of underline the red lines on each side.
Xi reiterated his demand for US non-interferencea coded warning about U.S. arms sales to the island, which Beijing considers a breakaway province. Trump later said he had not yet decided whether a large US arms sales to Taiwan could advance.
But, in talks with Chinese officials, the US delegation appears to have maintained, to a large extent, within political lines in force since the 1970s: that this issue must be resolved peacefully, with the agreement of both Taiwan and China.
Taking into account the remaining turbulence in the world, maintaining the state in which in this matter, as far as possible, may be described, albeit without enthusiasm, as something positive.
Regarding this turbulence, Trump said that Xi Jinping had offered to help the US in the conflict with Iran — but how this might work out in practice is another question.
China is unlikely to want to take a strong role of mediation, due to the risk of being dragged into permanent problems that the region seems to present to any actor that becomes more deeply involved there.
What China wants is a long-term truce that allows both Tehran and Washington affirm that they were victorious in the war — despite there being no decisive final outcome.
China does not, in any way, want the conflict to last indefinitely, given its disruptive economic impact — hence the offer of some kind of aid.
History will likely judge Trump’s visit as yet another milestone on the path to a world in which China has greater protagonismbut continues to recognize the USA’s respect and acceptance of its current economic and military primacy.
Trump may have left empty-handed — but in diplomacy, sometimes the fact that nothing happens is a good thing. The fact that the two leaders understood each other, Not having clashed and agreeing to continue the conversation may not seem like a great result. But in this turbulent world, it still counts as a positive point.
