After the massive buildup and post-match analyses to the Xi-Trump meeting, a few details have been ironed out but not folded. The actual outcome was somewhat underwhelming. Trump backed away from his tariff position. Xi essentially stuck to pure diplomacy.
Xinhua produced a truly seamless report on the meeting, highlighting Xi’s points without excessive detail. It’s a pleasure to read and very well done. The net takeaway from that report could be used as a template for PR graduates.
Trump was quoted as saying that “The United States and China have always had a fantastic relationship, and it will be even better,” as faithfully recorded by Xinhua.
Another possible source of revenue for Xinhua could be courses in applied tact. That vibe also set the tone for the meeting.
The actual outcome of the meeting was a softening of images, not necessarily of positions. The contrast between Trump’s on-again/off-again positions couldn’t be clearer. Many commentaries say China “won” the meeting.
That may well be a massive understatement. China has absolutely nothing to gain from endless bickering and pedantry over minor trade issues. The US has lots to lose by any further perception of inflexibility in its trade positions. This meeting provided a good excuse for the Chinese to make their point softly, and the US to reposition from an unworkable stance.
The overall impression is that China is playing a long game, most importantly not getting derailed or distracted. China was at APEC; Trump didn’t bother to stick around. APEC is a sort of de facto trade forum for the Southeast Asian region. This is the neighborhood for Xi, but not for Trump.
There’s quite a lot of talk in various unofficial Chinese media about US bullying. That may be a polite description of the antiquated, totally US-centric world view espoused by America’s invaluable flunkies.
There are 8 billion people on this planet. 340 million of them claim to be Americans or are hoping to be. 1.4 billion are Chinese. Time is passing, and the world is moving on, with or without the benefit of melodramatic plutobrat politics in the US.
Modern world trade can’t work on the basis of 1950s economics and geopolitical nostalgia. The long game makes perfect sense, particularly if you can call the shots like a gigantic economy. China has its issues, sure, but so does the US.
The directionless, incredibly tiresome US soap opera can only last so long. People want to have lives and make money. That’s not happening. The domestic mess is the top priority for a huge cleanup. It doesn’t take a PhD in knitting to see that something has to go.
This idiotic global economic guessing game can only go on for so long, and no longer. This meeting made that clear.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
