OPINION — Last week’s high-level summit in Beijing between President Trump and President Xi achieved few traditional ‘deliverables’ between the two leaders, and this led many outside observers to dismiss its singular importance. No significant trade deals were made, and there was little diplomatic progress with respect to ending the wars between Iran and America, or Russia and Ukraine. There was no mention of North Korea, or China’s possible influence with respect to a resumption of diplomatic negotiations between America and North Korea regarding the latter’s nuclear program. President Xi and President Trump pledged to work towards “constructive strategic stability” in the US-China relationship. But Xi’s comments about Taiwan – which could be interpreted as an indirect threat – in which he warned Trump, “If handled poorly, the two countries will collide or even clash, putting the entire US-China relationship in an extremely dangerous situation,” set the background tone of the summit. Despite other cordial words by both leaders – Trump repeatedly praised Xi as a “great leader” - many observers suggested that the summit had no significant or measurable outcomes, except for optics, symbolism, and body language. But for President Xi, these were – and are – the key ‘deliverables,’ making the summit, where he and Trump acted as equals (e.g. “G-2,” in Trump’s words), a critical success for him and China.
For some, President Trump’s trip to Beijing might remind one of Lord Macartney’s 1793 mission to China. Xi proved a gracious host, showcasing China’s achievements, history, culture, and ancient beauty. To truly understand Xi’s perspective, the setting, symbolism, and body language are critical. On the last day, Xi and Trump held an informal meeting in the lovely and historic Imperial Gardens of Zhongnanhai, where they strolled together while conversing and later, enjoying tea. Xi pointed out trees that are 490 years old, and in other cases, over 1000 years old. He asked Trump to touch the trees, highlighting their place in the gardens’ history. When President Trump commented on the beauty of the roses, President Xi offered to send some seeds from the Imperial rose garden back to the White House. For Xi, such symbolism is key, with a subtle framing of his message being, America is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year. But China is a civilization – like these trees – that has been in existence for thousands of years. Xi could not have said it better — or been more pleased.
Xi’s sophisticated diplomacy and aspirations (“The Chinese Dream of Rejuvenation”) have always been paired with strategic thinking (the concept of shi, described by Professor David Lai as “the alignment of forces, the propensity of things, or the potential born of disposition”), ruthlessness, and an increasingly confident posture regarding China’s domestic and international interests. The Xi-Trump summit showed them interacting as complete equals. For Xi and China, such images at last week’s summit serve to erase more than a century of humiliation. And China’s goal of becoming the world’s dominant superpower by 2049 (the centenary of the PRC’s founding) has not changed. Nor has it altered its gray zone strategy targeting America and the West, its cyber-attacks, its espionage efforts, its desire to dominate the key industries of the 21st Century, its military buildup in the South China Sea, its theft of intellectual property, its aggressive moves towards Taiwan, or its economic reach with respect to the Belt and Road Initiative. Today’s President Xi is unchanged from 2017, when he first hosted President Trump on a state visit to Beijing.
But Xi ought to be careful, as he prepares for his next summit with President Trump in late 2026. It is convenient for Xi to assert, as he has frequently done, that the East is rising, while the West is in decline. And many critics would agree that given a divided, polarized America, a lame-duck President with falling poll numbers, and a nation bogged down by military conflicts in the Middle East, Xi is correct. But I’d argue that they and Xi have a potential blind spot. Such an analysis of American and western decline, coupled with China’ remarkable achievement in lifting 800 million citizens out of poverty since 1949, while becoming the world’s 2nd-largest economy, risks ignoring America’s resilience, as it approaches its 250th birthday in July 2026. President Trump has always showcased his mastery of media and spectacular events too. At his next summit with President Xi, he ought to highlight America’s exceptionalism, and walk with Xi along the Mall, George Washington’s home in Mt. Vernon, and let Xi touch and feel not a tree nor roses, but Philadelphia’s famed Liberty Bell. Such symbols and gestures can matter. President Trump’s optics can thereby say, this too, is America. Freedom. Courage. Faith. Nationhood. Endurance. And Liberty. Old concepts, old values, which stand the test of time.
Dr. Kenneth Dekleva served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist with the U.S. Dept. of State from 2002-2016 and is currently the CEO of Blackwood Advisory Solutions LLC and Professor of Psychiatry, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. The views expressed by Dr. Dekleva are entirely his own and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, the U.S. Dept. of State, or UT Southwestern Medical Center.
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