• China’s Xi gets an awkward view of U.S. military might.
• Trump's military action unnerves GOP libertarians, Democrats.
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Chinese President Xi Jinping had just finished a steak dinner with President Donald Trump in a gilded dining room at the Mar-aLago resort in Florida when Mr. Trump told him that dozens of U.S. cruise missiles had just rained down on an airfield in Syria, a fiery display of U.S. military might that formed an awkward backdrop to a summit intended to introduce the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
Mr. Trump had intended to press Mr. Xi for trade concessions and urge China to take a more active role in restraining North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, but the high-stakes discussions that began Thursday night and continued Friday were overshadowed by Mr. Trump’s response to a poison gas attack blamed on Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Even though China normally opposes any use of U.S. force overseas — and has consistently sided with Russia in vetoing any antiSyrian resolutions by the U.N. Security Council — the Syria drama may have been a welcome distraction for Mr. Xi, who was under pressure at home not to cede too much to the new U.S. president in advance of a major Communist Party leadership meeting in the fall.
Mr. Xi’s trip to Florida lasted less than 24 hours and appeared carefully choreographed to limit the number of public interactions he and Mr. Trump would have. The two leaders agreed to a 100day plan to review the trade relationship with China, to increase cooperation on ending North Korea’s nuclear program, and concurred that the missile threat from North Korea had reached an “urgent stage,” according to Cabinet officials who described the meetings.
The two sides also agreed to a series of future meetings to tackle additional economic and security issues as well as U.S. concerns about Chinese cyberattacks. Mr. Xi invited Mr. Trump to visit China later in the year.
After Mr. Xi left Mr. Trump’s resort for his hotel nearby, Mr. Trump received a classified update on the effect of the Syria strikes from national security officials and then delivered a sober address to the American people about why he had decided to retaliate militarily against Mr. Assad over the gas attack on Tuesday in northern Syria, which left dozens dead.
Sitting with Mr. Trump during a major national security incident gave the Chinese leader an “unprecedented” opportunity to view at close range how the U.S. leader acts under pressure, John Park, a specialist on Northeast Asia at Harvard Kennedy School, said in a telephone interview.
“For President Xi to see this unfold shoulder-toshoulder is a rare opportunity to get — if you think of poker players — some very interesting tells,” he said.