Trump Winds Up His Summit Confident in Having Built a Rapport on Crucial Issues, From Iran to Trade

President Trump wound up his summit confident in having built up rapport if not solid deals on crucial issues ranging from the war in Iran to trade and tariffs.In perhaps the most substantive result of the summit, Mr. Trump said Mr. Xi had agreed on the purchase of 200 Boeing aircraft — an understanding not yet in writing that’s sure to bring in money and jobs.Beyond the pleasantries and praise for one another, though, it was far from clear what the two leaders had accomplished beyond their agreement to talk yet again when Mr. Xi pays a return visit to Washington in September. Between now and then both countries are likely to avoid confrontation while scrambling to follow through on the optimistic tone of this week’s talks in Beijing.Mr. Xi made plain, despite differences, that he’s committed at least to keeping the relationship on an even keel, free from conflict and confrontation even on China’s undying claim to Free China, that is, Taiwan, the island state that Beijing’s Communist regime has never ruled but claims as its own.Mr. Trump said, however, he had not responded to Mr. Xi’s tirade in their first meeting on the overwhelming importance of Taiwan to China. Instead, he said, he had merely “heard him out” on the topic.Interestingly, Mr. Xi appeared to have dropped his strongly worded warning against America’s commitment to Taiwan in their final talk in the historic seat of Chinese power, the Zhongnanhai leadership compound. It was as though he had decided to skip the topic for now while focusing on more immediate issues.They appeared, before their ceremonial farewell, to have not agreed even subtly on anything. It was not that they necessarily saw eye to eye but simply that they covered potential disputes beneath upbeat rhetoric.“President Trump hopes to make America great again,” the Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, quoted Mr. Xi as saying to Mr. Trump “I am dedicated to leading the Chinese people toward national rejuvenation.”In the most general terms, the two leaders shared common ground on the need to put the Iran war behind them and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, through which China gets nearly half its oil. In keeping with the tone of the summit, they said not a word on just how to accomplish this goal, but there was no overt sign of disagreement on what to do to end the war.Considering that China is by far Iran’s biggest market for its oil, however, Mr. Xi should be able to exercise considerable leverage over Iran. China leans in favor of Iran, to which it’s shipped components for factories producing drones and missiles, but is not believed to be providing weapons.If nothing else, however, Mr. Trump, with Mr. Xi at his side, was able to say they had talked about Iran and “feel very similar” about ending the war. “We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. ”Later, the White House added that both leaders agreed on the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “to support the free flow of energy” and that Mr. Xi had made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait.”As for China’s need for oil Mr. Trump told Fox that the Chinese have “agreed they want to buy oil from the United States” and would be sending ships to Texas to get it.” If there was no confirmation from China, the impression was that Mr. Trump was glad to meet China’s needs in response for Chinese cooperation.Stopping Iran from having nukes, however, was not the only nuclear issue on the table Mr. Trump also raised the issue of Russia, America and China coming to terms on their own nuclear stockpiles. The concern here is that China, with about 600 nuclear warheads, is eager to catch up with Russia, with nearly 6,000 warheads, and America, with more than 5,000.Mr. Trump said he had had “a very positive response” but, as on other topics, no more than perhaps a vague understanding on the desire for a new nuclear arms treaty.Mr. Trump waxed even more upbeat about the summit, “It’s been a great couple of days,” he said, with all kinds of agreements reached between the tycoon who joined him on the mission. Mr. Xi encouraged them by saying China was “open” for investment but, like Mr. Trump, did not offer details.Mr. Xi, however, may get what he wants in the coming weeks and months. Mr. Trump indicated he might remove some sanctions on China and also said he would review plans for an upcoming shipment of weapons to Taiwan.In a world divided by conflict, the future of Chinese-American relations, as Xinhua reported, appeared to be all sweetness and light.The two sides “set the new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability,” Xinhua quoted Mr. Xi as saying. “We had reached important common understandings on maintaining stable economic and trade ties, expanding practical cooperation in various fields, and properly addressing each other’s concerns.”

Trump Winds Up His Summit Confident in Having Built a Rapport on Crucial Issues, From Iran to Trade

Trump Winds Up His Summit Confident in Having Built a Rapport on Crucial Issues, From Iran to Trade

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