International

CNA (An external news source) Trump-Xi Summit: All Show, No Substance? Foreign Media Weighs In: A Lavish Gift to China By CNA Editor Lin Yi-chun Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 4:50 AM 6 U.S. President Donald Trump had hoped that hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping with grand fanfare in Washington last week would showcase their strong personal relationship. However, the summit yielded limited results, highlighting significant divergences between the U.S. and China on key issues. Analysts increasingly believe that Xi had little reason to grant Trump a major political victory before the November midterm elections. Craig Singleton, Senior Director for China Affairs at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a U.S. think tank, stated, "The U.S.-China relationship has entered a controlled stalemate. Precisely because substantive progress remains relatively limited, this meticulously arranged grand spectacle becomes even more significant." While both sides announced an agreement to reduce tariffs on a range of non-sensitive goods totaling $60 billion, no timeline for implementation was set, and the deadline for a broader trade agreement has been extended to next year. Advertisement Analysts point out that the absence of a delegation of Chinese CEOs accompanying Xi on this visit not only underscores the difficulty in resolving U.S. concerns about Chinese investment but also introduces uncertainty into the feasibility of the bilateral investment plan announced by the two leaders at their summit in Beijing in May.