Fireworks fail to materialise as Trump, Xi agree on key issues
palm beach (Florida) — What was billed as a showdown between the leaders of the United States and China over trade and North Korea ended with little sign of confrontation on Friday — or of concrete progress in resolving their differences.
President Donald Trump had predicted a “very difficult” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After their first face-to-face at the Mar-a-Lago resort, he trumpeted they had developed an “outstanding” relationship.
US officials said the two sides agreed to increase cooperation on trying to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, and China acknowledged the need for more balanced trade with the US.
But the two days of meetings appeared heavier on optics than substance. The most powerful message for the Chinese leader may have been Trump’s decision to launch US missile strikes at Syria.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US and China “agreed to increase cooperation and work with the international community to convince the DPRK to peacefully resolve the issue and abandon its illicit weapons programmes”. DPRK stands for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Tillerson said Trump and Xi noted the urgency of the threat of North Korea’s weapons programme and that they reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearization of the divided Korean Peninsula.
On trade issues, Trump called for China to “level the playing field” for American workers, stressing the need for reciprocal market access. He also noted the importance of protecting human rights, and asked China to adhere to international norms in the seas of East Asia, Tillerson said.
As a candidate and president, Trump has taken an aggressive posture toward China, labelling Beijing a “tremendous problem” and arguing that lopsided trade deals with China shortchange American businesses and workers. Some $347 billion of the $502 billion trade deficit recorded by the US last year was with China.
Trump said in a brief appearance before reporters on Friday that he and Xi made “tremendous progress” in their talks and that he believes “lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away.”
Speaking alongside Trump, Xi said the two delegations discussed important topics and established a good friendship and working relationship. — AP