What happened when Xi Jinping met Donald Trump? - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

A lavish state dinner at the White House was just one of the ways US President Donald Trump helped welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein)

From the moment China's President Xi Jinping arrived in America and was personally greeted by Donald Trump on the tarmac, the expectations were set for a history-making summit.

It had been more than 60 years since a sitting US president had personally welcomed a visiting political leader on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.

And the rare honour was a calculated move by Washington, designed to show the two leaders more as political allies than foes.

It's a stunning turnaround from just one year ago, when China and America were locked in a bitter and hostile trade war, that saw Xi stare down the tariff threats of his American counterpart — and win.

Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping as he personally welcomed him on the tarmac.   (Reuters: Jonathan Ernst)

Now, Trump says the two countries have "never gotten along better" and has hailed a "truly great friendship" with Xi.

But while it may appear that Xi has now tamed the US president — known for his admiration of so-called strongmen — the description of the pair's relationship as a "great friendship" is a wild overreach of Beijing's position.

Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Xi Jinping after watching a military demonstration from a balcony at the White House. (Reuters: Evan Vucci)

China does not want conflict with the US or a US intervention that would contain or constrain Beijing's global economic and geopolitical ambitions.

But the communist superpower is not seeking a friendship with America.

For now, reading between the lines of state media, China appears to be satisfied with "stability" and buying time on issues that could put the two superpowers on a course for a military collision.

And the outcomes of this summit — or more the lack thereof — clearly demonstrate the greater US-Sino relationship is still underpinned by deeply held differences and divisions.

Both sides went into this round of talks with four great "T"s on the agenda — trade, tech, Taiwan and Tehran. They were the same thorny topics that dominated discussions when Trump came to Beijing to meet with Xi earlier this year.

But as with the China summit, little movement was made on each of these contentious issues.

Donald Trump visited China in May and was welcomed by Xi Jinping with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People. (AP: Mark Schiefelbein)

The delicate trade-war truce between both nations still hasn't been resolved, even though China would have liked it extended by a year.

Beijing made no commitments to pressure Iran into finding a solution to the ongoing Middle East war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global trade.

The US also gave no ground on arms sales to Taiwan, despite Xi urging Trump to oppose the island's "independence".

And when it comes to the tech industry, the two countries are both still surging ahead to win the AI race.

Xi Jinping makes a toast during a state dinner attended by Trump administration officials, technology executives and business leaders. (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein)

The absence of major announcements isn't a great surprise — few US-Sino watchers expected any concrete deliverables to come out of the summit.

But it's the seeming friendliness of Trump with Xi that has evoked concern, not only from Senate Democrats but from some within Trump's own party, who are uneasy at the change in a once-hawkish tone.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, suggested Xi should not have been asked to visit Washington, nor hosted at a state dinner.

The lavishness of the reception from Trump is a geopolitical gift for Xi, who some observers could conclude has mastered how to manage one of the world's most unpredictable leaders.

And while Xi may not have got everything he wanted — including the commitment to block a record $US14 billion arms sale to Taiwan or locking in a longer-lasting trade truce — the cordiality shown by Trump gives Xi a largely unchallenged path to continue pushing China's global geopolitical and economic agenda.

The state dinner at the White House provides an opportunity for Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to speak to each other, both formally and informally. (Reuters: Evelyn Hockstein)

Those global ambitions include a push to be seen as a diplomatic kingmaker to rival the United States, challenging US hegemony, and increasing its soft power across the globe.

And according to new research by the PEW Research Center, Americans' feelings about China have warmed in recent years.

This self-defined success of this week's talks also sets the stage for two potential future bilateral meetings this year — one on the sidelines of APEC in China's Shenzhen in November, and another at the G20 summit in Miami in December.

Four meetings in one year between the leaders of the United States and China would be historic.

But pageantry without diplomatic progress is just symbolism. And there's been no shortage of that so far.