On the fog of Beijing
The recent summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump highlighted the shift in power dynamics, focusing more on personal discussions than structured negotiations. While little was publicly announced, the leaders plan to continue their meetings, raising concerns about potential private deals affecting global stability. The outcome of their discussions, particularly regarding Iran, may take time to unfold as both sides navigate complex geopolitical issues.
- ▪The summit lacked the structure of previous U.S.-China meetings, focusing more on personal interactions.
- ▪Very few details were publicly shared, leaving the success of the summit uncertain.
- ▪Trump and Xi have scheduled a reciprocal summit at the White House for September 24.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
One of the difficulties in analysing summit meetings between leaders such as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump is that the events are a blend of public theatre and private discussion. With previous presidents of China and the United States such summits represented the culmination of long negotiations between specialist senior officials, providing a predictable structure and predictable outcomes. But with power in both countries now concentrated in the hands of their respective leaders rather than in broader governing systems the summits have less structure and more theater, while the private discussions are more important and more secretive.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Asia Times.
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