A statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the meeting noted that Mr Xi had said that China and the US should be partners and friends. “This is what history has taught us and what reality needs,” he had said, adding: “I am ready to continue working with you to build a solid foundation for China-US relations and create a sound atmosphere for the development of both countries.”
Mr Trump, though flexing America’s muscle ahead of the meeting by greenlighting the Pentagon to resume nuclear tests on par with China and Russia, had also made positive noises on trade in the lead-up to Busan. At an Oct 28 lunch with APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) business executives in Gyeongju, he said that making deals with China was “better than fighting and going through all sorts of problems”.
PRAGMATIC ENGAGEMENT
The two presidents have reportedly spoken on the phone three times this year. That, plus the summit in Busan – and now the possible April 2026 meeting in China – indicates that despite a vigorous China hawk lobby in Washington DC, pragmatic engagement with China continues.
But whether this meeting shifts anything structurally in US-China relations remains to be seen.
The US’ baseline view remains that China is a threat to its global dominance, and China resents America’s tariffs and containment strategies. But both sides at least agree on one thing – that neither can afford a real fight, whether over trade or anything else.
Nirmal Ghosh, a former foreign correspondent and US news bureau chief, is an author and independent writer based in Singapore.
