China’s ‘Great Rejuvenation’ Meets Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’

Bilateral talks between the two world leaders bring pleasantries but little in the way of agreements.

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President Donald Trump invited Chinese President Xi Jinping to the United States in September. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

BEIJING — President Donald Trump’s first full day of bilateral talks in China featured conciliatory remarks toward Chinese President Xi Jinping, lofty statements about the stability of the U.S.-China relationship, the undercurrent of warning on the issue of Taiwan and discussions about — but no agreements on — the war in Iran.

In remarks at the state banquet Thursday evening, Beijing time, Trump invited Xi to visit D.C. in September. If China’s leader accepts, it would be Xi’s first state visit since 2015, when former President Barack Obama was in office.

Trump’s overture matched the tone of his remarks, which projected stability and closeness with China, and sidelined talk of competition between the geopolitical rivals.