C OvER STORY
I
n the run-up to the first face-to-face meeting between Chinese
President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, many
expected some kind of showdown between the two leaders.
Trump had repeatedly criticised China on trade and North Korea in
previous months. But in the event, the summit proved diplomatic,
not confrontational.
Contrary to his prediction that the meeting would be “very dif-
ficult,” Trump said that the two sides “have made tremendous prog-
ress” in the bilateral relationship and described his personal relation-ship with Xi as “outstanding.”
Xi, for his part, described the meeting as “positive and fruitful.”
During his meeting with Trump, Xi stressed that there are “a thou-
sand reasons to make the China-US relationship work, and no reason
to break it,” and said that he is ready to work with Trump to push
forward China-US relations from a “new starting point.”
On the issue of trade, the two sides agreed to a 100-day plan for
trade talks, which US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said will
focus on boosting US exports and reducing the trade deficit withXi-Trump Summit
A new Start?
Chinese analysts are optimistic following the first meeting between Chinese
President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump
By Yu Xiaodong
The first meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US
counterpart Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago estate, Florida, on April 6, 2017 Photo by xinhua