US President Donald Trump has landed in China, with the expectation of receiving a “big fat hug”. The international news media, however, begs to differ: Chinese President Xi Jinping is more likely to shrug and ask him to get down to business.
“He’s not the touchy-feely type,” explained an anchor on CNN International.
The warmth of the welcome Trump receives could signal the outcome of his two-day summit with Xi in Beijing. In the absence of Melania Trump, “…all eyes will be on how much of a spectacle the Chinese government rolls out…what music is played and whether Chinese and American children wave flowers and flags,” wrote Associated Press. It added that the reception of Trump “is shaping up to be warm and designed to flatter him…”
However, the news media seems to be unanimous in agreement that the red carpet China rolls out this time will be several shades lighter than the one in 2017, when Trump first came calling as US President.
Yes, he will attend a state banquet; yes, he will sip Chinese tea with Xi; yes, he will visit the Temple of Heaven. But “analysts say the pomp will not match that of nine years ago.” (France 24)
If the welcome is “chillier” (Associated Press) than in 2017, what can we expect from the talks between leaders of two countries that control 40 per cent of the world’s economic activity?
Not much, say major global news media. From The New York Times, Time magazine and Bloomberg to CNN International and Fox News; from Financial Times, The Guardian and The Economist in the UK to the Russian RTe and the South China Morning Post, the verdict is: don’t expect big ‘breakthroughs’.
As The Economist explained: “Tensions between the two governments run so deep that it would be naive to expect a breakthrough.”
South China Morning Post stated, “Don’t look for a historic breakthrough…”
One analyst told the NYT: “They’re going to agree we buy some of this, they buy some of that, and then they’ll have a party and call it a day.”
TV news anchors on CNN International and Fox News in the US, who generally hold opposite viewpoints, agreed that this time we should be happy that Trump landed in Beijing at all.
Experts, including some on BBC World and Al Jazeera, summed up the talks’ expected outcome in one word: “stability”.
RTe suggested another outcome of the Trump-Xi summit, which most news media agreed with: “Ultimately this summit is all about playing for time, which is in the interest of both big players as they grapple with their own challenges.”
Time remains pessimistic about the talks and hence its sarcasm here: “Both leaders will emerge to a fanfare of superficial deals that each can claim as a win: They release statements pledging cooperation. Wheels up…”
In 24 hours the summit will end. We’ll find out whether the news media got it right or whether Trump and Xi had a card or two up their sleeves.
Also read: Trump’s China visit is already a spectacle on Chinese internet. Strategists are cautious
A tale of two personalities
Partly, the direction of the summit discussions will depend on Trump and Xi’s personalities. It’s chalk and cheese here, folks. Two leaders with very different characteristics: “Mr Trump’s often bombastic, freewheeling comportment on the international stage contrasts dramatically with Xi’s measured, tight-lipped approach to foreign policy,” wrote The Strait Times, Singapore.
An expert on Bloomberg, in a podcast titled ‘How China Plays the Long Game Against Trump’, said Trump is “brash, impulsive” while Xi is “guarded, methodical”. She noted that the Chinese president likes to play the “long game, not the Twitter game”. The podcast also referred to the joke about Trump: ‘TACO — Trump always chickens out’.
It’s really worthwhile going back to a Time story on Xi Jinping from December 2025: ‘In Trump-Xi Face-Off, a Clash of Personalities.’
Or this opinion article from Brig Anil Raman (Retd) published by NDTV: “Under Trump, decision-making increasingly becomes personalised rather than institutionalised…Xi Jinping represents almost the opposite model. His leadership style is highly centralised but deeply institutional in execution. Decision-making flows through party structures…”
Iran, trade, and Taiwan on Trump-Xi plate
The US-Israel war on Iran, the intractable issues between Washington and Beijing, and a clash of personalities: these are some of the reasons behind the news media’s pessimism on the Trump-Xi summit delivering any meaningful outcomes.
First, Iran. The Wall Street Journal put it best: when heads of the world’s two superpowers meet in Beijing, they “will have another nation looming over their summit: Iran.”
Will the US seek China’s help to pressure Iran? The Guardian wondered what “will China do to help resolve the conflict?” Other news media argued that Beijing won’t do much despite 50 per cent of its crude oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Then come the intractable ‘3Ts’ — Trade, Taiwan, and Technology. The news media spelt out the differences on these matters in great detail. Read this article by the Council for Foreign Relations, “At the Trump-Xi Summit, China Will Have the Upper Hand,” or The Economist’s article on how the Trump-Xi summit will “expose a dysfunctional duo”.
Trade gets a lot of space and plenty of recaps on the testy relationship between the two, especially after Trump slapped high tariffs on China last year and China retaliated by curtailing the export of rare earth minerals.
In “As Trump Heads to Beijing, China Is ‘Locked and Loaded’ for a Fight”, The New York Times wrote that Beijing is ready for a showdown as the two countries prepare for a “prolonged economic war, mapping vulnerabilities and sharpening tools to inflict pain on the other.”
The news media has concentrated on Taiwan as a major sticking point, one where the Chinese want Trump to ‘soften’ his stand and further delay the sale of arms to the island country.
The other issue dealt with in some detail is the battle for AI supremacy and talks on regulating its power, especially in warfare. The South China Morning Post devoted an entire article to the subject: ‘Could military AI use be on the agenda when Chinese and US leaders’.
Also read: Trump has played his cards before China visit. Xi holds diplomatic power
Outcomes that could make summit a success
Readers should not despair that the meeting between the leaders of the world’s biggest powers will end in nothing. For both Trump and Xi, the optics of success matter. News channels such as CNN International and Fox News line up large expert panels for two days. Most panelists agree that there will be some ‘deliverables’ if Trump can avoid ‘fumbles’ on Taiwan.
The Atlantic Council, in ‘5 outcomes that would make Trump’s trip to China a success’, said to watch out for “Taiwan, export controls, trade, detainees, and critical minerals.”
In a pragmatic listing of achievable goals, the news media refers to the ‘5 Bs’ of American economic priorities: China to buy Boeing aircraft, beef, beans (soybeans), and agree to a Board of Trade and Board of Investment.
News media identifies a stability on trade tariffs, US changing its stance on Taiwan and its access to US technology in areas such as semi-conductors.
“A more likely outcome is a set of modest agreements on investment and an extension of last year’s temporary trade truce,” wrote NYT.
Lastly, a word about the Indian news media’s coverage of the Trump-Xi summit. There’s so little, it’s easy to miss. Previews of the Trump visit appeared in The Hindu and The Indian Express, and there’s an opinion piece in Hindustan Times. TV news is waiting for Donald to sightsee.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)