Why the Trump-Xi summit in Washington could be considered a win for Beijing

The one-day summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping – which some observers have criticised as being heavy on optics but light on substance – showed little headway in the resolution of core Chinese concerns. US-China relations expert Hoo Tiang Boon said China’s strategy is to ride out Trump’s term, which ends in 2029, unscathed as far as possible, as Beijing is well aware of the US President’s unpredictability. “China is under no illusions that having a few summits with Trump will make fundamental disagreements and structural issues disappear,” said the associate professor from NTU Singapore. He noted that despite the feel-good summit in May, the US has continued to impose restrictions on China. “What China means by stability is to have a certain understanding of what to expect, in order to minimise the potential damage of any American policy during Trump’s term,” said Hoo.

Click here to read the article.