Trump and Xi Hold First Face-to-Face Meeting, Signal Desire to Stabilize Relations
Busan, Korea – October 30th – In a hastily arranged meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first face-to-face discussions, signaling a potential shift towards managing the increasingly strained relationship between the two nations.
The meeting, described as ”not very long” and focused on “fairly narrow, non-strategic issues,” comes after a period of escalating tensions, including a prolonged trade war. While specific agreements reached require further negotiation, both sides conveyed a commitment to preventing further deterioration in relations.
A key outcome of the meeting is the agreement to establish a calendar of continuing high-level engagements,alongside a series of lower-level official discussions covering areas such as military-to-military relations,trade and investment,and law enforcement cooperation.This represents the most long-term planning seen from the Trump administration to date, despite its reputation for unpredictability.
President Trump appears “determined to keep his ‘fantastic relationship'” with xi and is reportedly “very involved in decisionmaking” regarding China policy,according to reports.
Recent public opinion data suggests a potential softening of attitudes towards China within the United states.A survey by the chicago Council on World Affairs indicates that support for engagement and cooperation with China has risen from 40% last year to 53% recently, perhaps reflecting a growing awareness of the costs associated with continued confrontation.
Despite the positive signals,analysts caution that notable challenges remain in transforming the current “truce” into a more comprehensive framework for bilateral relations. the underlying competitive dynamics between the U.S. and China are expected to persist, and maintaining the current trajectory will require a “disciplined process” – something the Trump administration has historically struggled with. Without such a process, cycles of engagement followed by deterioration may continue.
Source: Brookings Institution analysis of the meeting and related developments.
