Oh boy...
Trump offers platitudes, Xi warns of coming confrontation during China summit
President Donald Trump began his trip to Beijing on Thursday by telling Xi Jinping “it’s an honor to be your friend,” even as his Chinese counterpart offered a cautionary warning about avoiding a possible clash between the two nations during their much-watched bilateral meeting.
The stark contrast in tone underscored just how far apart the leaders remain on thorny issues including the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington’s relationship with Taiwan — and suggested that Trump and Xi’s highly anticipated meetings are likely to be longer on pageantry and symbolism than major breakthroughs.
The meeting lasted about two hours behind closed doors, but the official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi told Trump that if Taiwan is not handled correctly, the U.S. and China risk “clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy."
That followed public opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, where Trump was full of platitudes, saying of Xi, “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true.”
“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend,” Trump said before promising that “the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”
Xi was darker, expressing hope that the U.S. and China can avoid conflict while saying that history, and the world were asking “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers.”
China's leader used a term popular in foreign policy studies, referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, the result is often war.
“Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both,” Xi said. “The two countries should be partners rather than rivals, achieve success together and pursue common prosperity, and chart a correct path for major-country relations in the new era.”
Sorry, I have no confidence in Trump... I pray I'm wrong and he actually knows what he's doing...
Trump offers platitudes, Xi warns of coming confrontation during China summit
President Donald Trump began his trip to Beijing on Thursday by telling Xi Jinping “it’s an honor to be your friend,” even as his Chinese counterpart offered a cautionary warning about avoiding a possible clash between the two nations during their much-watched bilateral meeting.
The stark contrast in tone underscored just how far apart the leaders remain on thorny issues including the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington’s relationship with Taiwan — and suggested that Trump and Xi’s highly anticipated meetings are likely to be longer on pageantry and symbolism than major breakthroughs.
The meeting lasted about two hours behind closed doors, but the official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi told Trump that if Taiwan is not handled correctly, the U.S. and China risk “clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy."
That followed public opening remarks at the Great Hall of the People, where Trump was full of platitudes, saying of Xi, “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true.”
“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend,” Trump said before promising that “the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”
Xi was darker, expressing hope that the U.S. and China can avoid conflict while saying that history, and the world were asking “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers.”
China's leader used a term popular in foreign policy studies, referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, the result is often war.
“Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both,” Xi said. “The two countries should be partners rather than rivals, achieve success together and pursue common prosperity, and chart a correct path for major-country relations in the new era.”
Sorry, I have no confidence in Trump... I pray I'm wrong and he actually knows what he's doing...
