Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping demonstrated the perils of shortsightedness when playing a long game.
In the centuries when dynasties ruled China, kings and chieftains across Asia sent “tribute missions” to the imperial court to pay homage to the emperor in exchange for access to the empire’s riches and favors. Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing this week recalled those missions. The United States president arrived hat in hand, seeking money and promises from China’s latter-day emperor, Xi Jinping. The visit, meant to establish stability after a decade of trade wars and acrimonious one-upmanship, instead highlighted how the balance of power is tipping away from Washington. Despite America’s economic, military, and diplomatic heft, Trump’s missteps have put him and the country on the back foot in dealings with the far more disciplined Xi.
Trump opened the proceedings with his usual kowtowing. “You’re a great leader. I say it to everybody,” Trump told Xi at a welcoming ceremony yesterday at the Great Hall of the People. “Sometimes people don’t like me saying it. But I say it anyway because it’s true.” The fawning didn’t get him very far. In the meeting that followed, Xi promptly issued a stern warning about Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. Stressing that the “Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations,” Xi warned the U.S. to handle the matter with “extra caution,” according to a summary of his comments from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If not, Xi said, “the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts.”
Summary
Michael Schuman portrays the Beijing summit as a symbol of America’s weakening strategic position under President Trump. While Trump highlighted possible Chinese purchases of Boeing aircraft and other American goods, critics argue the United States received little of substance on the far more important issues shaping the relationship: China’s support for Iran and Russia, growing pressure on Taiwan, and Beijing’s broader effort to expand its global influence at America’s expense.
The deeper concern raised by the article is that Trump appears to view China primarily through a short-term business and trade lens, while Xi Jinping is pursuing a long-term geopolitical strategy. Over the past year and a half, Trump has weakened traditional sources of American power — alliances, diplomatic credibility, and coordinated pressure on adversaries — while accepting temporary economic wins that mainly benefit a handful of corporations. The real issue is not simply one summit or one trade deal, but a broader pattern of America ceding influence while China steadily gains leverage.
