Xi and Trump strike friendly tone, but make little progress on thorny issues

Chinese leader Xi Jinping brought a message of peace to Washington this week, calling on both countries to restrain their competition and, above all, avoid war.“China and the United States must hold the line of no conflict and no confrontation between us,” Mr. Xi said at his arrival ceremony.Mr. Xi also used his White House stage to try to bolster Americans’ improving sentiments toward his country – pledging to invite 100,000 U.S. youth to China for exchanges and study over the next five years. On another positive note, Mr. Xi announced that China is sending two new pandas to a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia. Indeed, strengthening U.S.-China contacts at all levels – from artificial intelligence dialogues and military crisis communications, to trade talks and panda diplomacy – emerged as a key theme of Mr. Xi’s two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. While no major new agreements were announced as of early Friday, the expanded high-level talks themselves mark progress given the acrimony that colored U.S.-China relations during the first Trump term.“The hope of the U.S.-China relationship lies in our people, and its future lies with the young,” Mr. Xi said in announcing the initiative Thursday. Tens of thousands of young Americans have toured China under an earlier program launched by Mr. Xi in 2023.Mr. Xi has long advocated grassroots, “people-to-people” bonds as a key pillar of China’s soft power strategy – confident that foreigners who experience the country firsthand will leave with more favorable views. Mr. Xi’s outreach comes as China’s image among Americans is recovering, after plunging to rock bottom during the pandemic. The share of U.S. adults feeling warmth toward China has risen by more than two-thirds since 2021, according to a Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults conducted last week.And while the majority of Americans remain cool on China, that percentage has dropped steadily over the past five years, the survey shows.Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi appear to be developing a degree of affinity, their friendly banter and frequent smiles captured on camera during the visit – though media coverage, at least in the U.S., was initially limited by the White House’s ban on several major networks.Mr. Trump said that he and Mr. Xi have forged “a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect.”This week’s in-person talks mark the second of four meetings the two leaders will hold this year – highlighting 2026 as a rare opportunity for U.S.-China head-of-state diplomacy. Striking an upbeat tone, Mr. Xi hailed the two leaders’ “personal rapport,” and stressed that their administrations need to follow suit.“We encourage our government departments ... to catch up on strengthening contact,” he said, sending a direct message to China’s bureaucracy. That includes the armed forces, he added. Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. “Our two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention,” he said.Mr. Xi also suggested the United States and China may increase the number of direct flights, which were severely curtailed during the pandemic and remain limited. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.