Trump and Xi conclude Washington visit that was short on substance - Semafor

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were set to conclude a superpower summit that was long on ceremony and short on substance. The pair made minor concessions on trade, Beijing pledged more student visas, and Xi said two pandas would soon arrive at a zoo in Atlanta.

Yet little progress was made on the most pressing issues, including AI regulation, China’s opposition to American support for Taiwan, or Beijing’s reported support for Iran. If anything, the pageantry irked Trump’s fellow Republicans, who noted he campaigned on constraining China. The contrast to the White House’s treatment of a key ally, Japan — whose leader arrived on an empty tarmac then faced pressure over her country’s currency — was stark.