BUILDING XI-TRUMP RAPPORT

Meeting of Chinese and U.S. presidents results in show of unity despite differences By Yu Lintao

On his first state visit to China, U. S. President Donald Trump received a royal welcome, literally. He was hosted at Beijing’s spectacular Forbidden City, the bastion from where dynasties of Chinese emperors ruled for almost 600 years, and offered tea in the complex’s Hall of Embodied Treasures. An official photograph of the visit showing the former reality show star surrounded by a phalanx of Peking Opera performers in glittering, exotic costumes at the Belvedere of Pleasant Sounds, the palace’s theater once meant only for the royal family and their entourage, was the ultimate memento.

State visit-plus

If the Mar-a-Lago meeting in April, when Trump hosted visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping at his personal beach resort, saw the breaking of the ice between the two governments after Trump’s earlier anti-Chinese election rhetoric, then the diplomatic tête-à-tête at the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, was perhaps an overwhelming avalanche. Trump shared his reaction via Twitter, the quickest barometer of his pulse, with the watching world:

“THANK YOU for an unforgettable afternoon and evening at the Forbidden City in Beijing,” he said.

Prior to the visit, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai revealed that Trump’s China trip would be a state visit-plus. During the visit, all the arrangements were highlighted by treating the U.S. guests a dose of Chinese culture before and in between the serious stuff including a guard of honor and state banquet.

However, this is not entertainment alone, but serves a deeper purpose. The first-hand taste of Chinese history and culture may guide the U.S. president to a better understanding of China. As William Jones, Executive Intelligence Review magazine’s Washington bureau chief, told Xinhua News Agency, “While social and cultural dialogue often doesn’t get as much attention as economic or security dialogues do, it may prove to be the most important dialogue of all in the long run.”

“The history of our countries, particularly during the period of the Cold War, has served to proliferate a rather skewed view of each other as ‘enemies’,” he went on to add. “Much has to be done therefore to create a greater understanding of each other and of each other’s history and culture. Without that, it will be difficult to understand actions and intentions on both sides.”

While one visit is not likely to resolve all the existing problems between the two countries, China’s special and well-thought-out arrangements for the Trumps do however indicate the sincerity of the Chinese hosts to deepen bilateral mutual trust and smooth the way for the development of bilateral relations.

The cultural diplomacy has already given birth to a warm personal relationship. During his Japan visit, which kicked off the Asian tour, Trump hailed his friendship with President Xi as saying his relationship with Xi is excellent and they consider each other as friends though they keep different views on some issues, which indicates the U.S. leader is now willing to accept that there are other divergent viewpoints.

The China visit has seen Trump, isolated