All show, no substance? Inside the Trump-Xi White House meeting

US President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, with talks on trade and artificial intelligence. But experts say the visit made little progress on pressing issues.

Though the Trump administration claimed it secured an extension of its trade truce and the President himself stated that there were "sincere and in-depth exchanges" earlier in the day, and "reached common understanding on many issues," experts think there are no breakthroughs on thorny issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan and the war with Iran.

From the grand welcoming ceremony at the military base on Wednesday to the guard of honour upon his arrival at the White House, Trump has rolled out the red carpet for the Chinese leader, both literally and symbolically. Their public statement were also filled with friendly language and diplomatic jargon.

Xi Jinping also showed warmth, announcing China's gift of giant pandas to the United States and launching a new student exchange programme. "Let us uphold our people-centered approach, demonstrate historical initiative, continuously advance the cause of friendship between the Chinese and American people, and work together to build a better world," he said.

However, beyond the fanfare, little was achieved. Jennifer Welch, chief geoeconomic analyst at Bloomberg Economics, told the BBC: "These somewhat deliberately grand scenes are meant to create a positive atmosphere for the summit. This is very much in line with how President Trump views this summit and his own role in U.S.-China relations, which is to act as a ballast for stability."

However, she pointed out that some of Xi Jinping's remarks still carry a certain warning connotation.

During his speech at the White House, Xi Jinping reiterated the "Thucydides Trap." This theory posits that when the global power structure shifts, conflict often erupts between rising and relatively declining nations.

Xi Jinping said, "China and the United States have different national conditions. Through frank, in-depth and continuous dialogue, we can enhance understanding, seek common ground while reserving differences, and build mutual trust."

Symbolic

. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday morning that the two leaders would discuss "super intelligence" but again
indicated little interest in new regulations, despite concerns
from industry leaders that AI could eventually pose a threat to
humans.  "Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion,
but I want to leave it exactly where it is," Trump wrote. "That
is China's position also. Xi said both countries must
"ensure that the development of AI is always under human
control."

However, analysts say intense competition between the two powers in AI is likely to limit the scope for anything beyond symbolic agreements.

When Trump and Xi met in Beijing in May, they agreed to establish a trade and investment committee to oversee economic exchanges between the two countries. Still, other than that, the results have been limited.

Bessent said Wednesday that the year-long trade truce between the U.S. and China will be extended for another two months. This arrangement has kept tariffs between the two countries at low levels.

Financial analysts expect the arrangement to be extended further before the summit concludes this week, as neither side wants a repeat of last year's trade war.

As for other issues, including the war between the United States and Iran, the war in Ukraine, and the regulation of artificial intelligence, the prospects for progress are much bleaker.

China's failure to fulfil its commitments to increase purchases of U.S. agricultural products and to sell more rare earth minerals to the U.S. has further complicated the outlook.