BEIJING – U.S. President Donald Trump sought silver linings after his three-day visit to Beijing, with his approval ratings continuing to slide and the war in Iran proving deeply unpopular at home and abroad.
Trump’s trip to China, the first by a U.S. president in nearly a decade, was considered a standout event on his 2026 diplomatic calendar, and that was probably still the case for him after the two days of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping through Friday.
“This has been an incredible visit. I think a lot of, a lot of good has come of it,” Trump said, appearing content with the results of the summit, during which they discussed contentious issues, including Iran and Taiwan.
But most observers of U.S.-China relations think there were few concrete announcements in the areas covered, ranging from trade and investment to geopolitics and technology.
“It was long on symbolism, short on substance,” said Evan Medeiros, a Georgetown University professor and senior adviser at The Asia Group consultancy.
Throughout his time with Xi, Trump, known for coarse language, was unusually discreet and did not go off-script. He avoided ruffling Xi’s feathers and repeatedly heaped praise on the Chinese leader instead.
Trump’s deference, however, did not bear fruit. A former senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The most surprising dimension of this summit is that there wasn’t a discrete, clear package of economic deliverables.”
Yun Sun, a senior fellow and director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said there could be two reasons for the meager outcome. She said one possibility was that China held back because the United States “did not put enough things on the table.”
“The other possibility is that things were agreed upon, but more in spirit, like in principle,” she said.
The summit with Xi was transformed by the reality confronting Trump in recent months.
It was originally expected to focus on economic deals, including a Chinese commitment to buy more American farm and other products.
But the war launched by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28 reshaped the power dynamics between the leaders of the world’s two most influential countries.
Around a week before the strikes on Iran commenced, the U.S. Supreme Court also overturned many of Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, shifting the ground after his meeting with Xi in South Korea in October at which they agreed to a one-year truce in their trade war.
Trump had originally planned to travel to the Chinese capital from March 31 to April 2. But the unresolved conflict with Iran eventually forced him to delay his trip.
The postponement gave Chinese officials more time to prepare, enabling them to recalibrate Beijing’s longer-term strategic priorities while Trump’s team was preoccupied with fast-moving developments in the Middle East.
It was clear that both the United States and China wanted stability and predictability in their relationship, so as not to be distracted from their near-term goals.
Stemming China’s economic slowdown is a priority for Xi, while Trump is also grappling with economic bad news ahead of the midterm elections in November.
When he put off his China trip in mid-March, Trump appeared confident that the U.S. military campaign would be over quickly. But his plans have gone awry, with peace negotiations stalled and Iran’s control of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz disrupting the global economy.
The U.S. struggle to end the war has arguably given Xi the upper hand against Trump.
Under such circumstances, Xi presented “constructive strategic stability” to Trump as the new guiding principle for the bilateral relationship.
Trump announced that Xi would make a reciprocal visit to the White House on Sept. 24, and that they could also meet in November and December in China and the United States, respectively, when each leader will host a multilateral economic summit.
While the two sides are seeking to sustain high-level engagement, Medeiros, who was former President Barack Obama’s chief adviser on Asia, warned that the new concept presented by Xi might be a “trap” for the United States.
Under the framework, Medeiros said Beijing could define the terms of the bilateral relationship and bind Washington.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News on Thursday, “One of the things the Chinese emphasized, which we agreed, is strategic stability in our relationship — a constructive relationship but also one that establishes strategic stability so that we don’t have misunderstandings that can lead to broader conflict.”
Patricia Kim, an expert on U.S.-China relations at the Brookings Institution, also cautioned that “Xi’s presentation makes clear that ‘constructive stability’ is contingent on what Beijing sees as ‘concrete actions’ by both sides.”
Kim said she will be watching for “what this summit sets into motion,” including “what issues are carried forward and whether there are clearer signals of what lies ahead.”
“Having said that, I think the most likely outcome is a year that’s less about breakthroughs or ambitious initiatives, but one that is focused on stability with the extension of the trade truce and avoiding escalation while both sides strengthen their positions,” she said.