In a historic display of protocol not seen in Washington since the Cold War, the US president Donald Trump received this Thursday at the White House to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, within the framework of a momentous state visit that will last until tomorrow and which, being a “stabilization summit”, was more intended to calm tensions than to issue major resolutions.
The most tangible agreement was the official extension of the tariff truce. Initially scheduled to expire in November, was extended until January 10, 2027as confirmed by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
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This temporarily stops a spike in the mutual tariff war. Likewise, it was confirmed that the Board of Trade created in May is now operational.
Likewise, it was known that both leaders addressed the possibility of establishing a bilateral channel to report artificial intelligence incidents that pose risks to national security.
Xi Jinping stated in his speech that Both Beijing and Washington had the capacity and the responsibility to develop artificial intelligence under “human control.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. Photo:AFP
AI, as well as security and technology, They are pressing issues.Trump said upon receiving it. But shortly before, on social networks, Trump had reiterated: “I want to leave her exactly where “is”, alluding to the regulation of this sector. “The decisions we make in these areas can promote peace and prosperity for decades and decades,” added the Republican.
Red carpet and dinner with millionaires for the chinese leader
After an unprecedented personal reception by Trump at the foot of the tarmac at Andrews Air Base – a gesture that a US president has not had with a foreign leader since 1962 – both leaders They staged a mixture of great personal friendship and harsh strategic warnings.
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At the threshold of the midterm legislative elections in the United States and with an economic slowdown in the Asian giant, The summit was marked more by spectacularity in ways that by the expectations of great immediate agreements.
Trump dedicated the day to guide Xi through the south wing gardensshowing him the new granite White House helipad – the Chinese leader it’s a stone expert – and inviting him aboard the presidential helicopter Marine One, dodging questions from the press about the substance of the private conversations.
For his part, Xi Jinping He asked his American counterpart to maintain a relationship without conflict or confrontation between both countries, during a statement to the press. “Our two armed forces must maintain regular dialogue and improve communication and crisis prevention mechanisms,” he proposed.
The development of AI has led to a clash of powers. Photo:Archive EL TIEMPO / Agencies
However, behind the sumptuousness, the red lines were firmly drawn. During the beginning of the bilateral session, Xi Jinping explicitly warned about the need of deep cooperation to avoid the “Thucydides trap”, a historical concept that refers to the danger of an inevitable military collision between a hegemonic power and another on the rise.
And fundamental disagreements persist in critical areas. Trump pressured Beijing to intercede in global conflictsespecially in the US war against Iran, while Xi called on Washington and Tehran to resolve their differences “as soon as possible” through negotiation.
As for Taiwan, the self-ruled island remained the most dangerous friction point. Xi pressed to block a million-dollar arms sale American to Taipei, while the official press in Beijing warned that poor management of the matter could drag the powers into direct conflict.
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The finale of the day was scheduled in the State Dining Room of the White House. The very exclusive guest list for the dinner included to Silicon Valley’s most influential CEOs, including Sam Altman (OpenAI), Elon Musk (Tesla/X), Tim Cook (Apple), Jensen Huang (Nvidia), Sundar Pichai (Google) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon).
As a calculated gesture of cultural rapprochement in the midst of the storm, Xi Jinping announced the donation of two new panda bears for Zoo Atlanta and extended an invitation to 1,500 young Americans to study in China.
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When they will see each other again Xi and Trump?
The agenda of the summit that ends this Friday will include an informal tea party hosted by Donald and Melania Trump at the White House, as well as a joint visit to the US National Archives to see the country’s founding documents. After this last act, Xi Jinping and his wife will head to Andrews Air Base to board their private plane back to Beijing.
Yes indeed, Trump and Xi could meet twice again before the end of the year: in November, during the APEC Forum in Shenzhen, and in December, at the G20 Summit that the United States will organize in Miami. Both leaders agreed to support each other as hosts of these meetings.
STEPHANY ECHAVARRÍA – INTERNATIONAL EDITOR – EL TIEMPO
@stephechavarria
