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We have put together stories from our coverage of the Xi-Trump summit. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner leans on historic symbolism

When US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room, every detail of the state dinner was steeped in symbolism, with sparkling wine served as a nod to a pivotal moment in Sino-US relations and references to “ping-pong diplomacy”.
2. How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’

Chinese viewers watching Trump welcome Xi to the White House on Thursday may have been puzzled by the US president’s reference to the “Chinese phrase” gung-ho. Turning to Baidu – or increasingly, Doubao, the country’s most popular AI chatbot – they may well have asked: what Chinese expression is he referring to?
3. Pat on the back? Xi and Trump’s body language speaks volumes

Arm touches, laughs, and firm handshakes were on display as Xi and Trump began their high-stakes summit in Washington, which has so far featured a rare airport welcome, military pageantry and closed-door bilateral talks.
4. From ping-pong to pickleball: China’s unofficial approach to diplomatic messaging

Before setting off for Washington on Wednesday, Xi had some correspondence to attend to. Dozens of students from 10 US universities, including Harvard, had written to him about their experiences on an exchange trip to China this year. According to the State Council, Xi responded with a call to the students to advance cooperation between the two countries.
5. Summits for all diplomatic seasons: how the US has set the stage for Xi Jinping

Xi’s visit to the US was his first to the country since 2023 and his eighth face-to-face meeting with Trump. From informal walk-and-talks to a state dinner, Xi’s meetings across four American administrations show how personal rapport and official diplomacy reflect the growing complexity of US-China relations.
6. What Trump and Xi revealed in the body language with their wives
As Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their three-day state visit on Friday, a stark contrast in the two presidential couples’ hand-holding dynamics was on display, body language experts said.
7. How Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a parallel track in US-China diplomacy

First ladies Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a new front in US-China exchanges last week, with their unusually frequent and spontaneous interactions putting a more personal face on ties during the presidential summit in Washington.


From body language to ping-pong, decoding the symbolism during Xi and Trump’s meeting

Why Xi Jinping skipped the UN after his Trump summit

Amid many thorny issues with China, Trump pushes to rename AI as superintelligence

Beijing says US, China to pursue military crisis-communication pact

2026 Xi-Trump summits

(From left) China’s First lady Peng Liyuan, China’s President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump pose on the North Portico steps of the White House on September 24, 2026. Photo: AFP

President Donald Trump and first ladies Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan listen as China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo: AP

Not only has gung-ho – derived from the Chinese gong he – entered the English dictionary, but it also features in the names of several awards associated with the US Marine Corps. Photo: The Boston Globe via Getty Images

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold bilateral talks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Jack Lund Schofield Middle School’s Principal Terri Knepp (left), Yang Wanming (third left), president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Flying Tigers veteran Harry Moyer (second right) and Zhang Jianmin, Chinese consul general in San Francisco (right), visit the school in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and then US president Barack Obama chat as they take a walk at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, on June 8, 2013. Photo: AFP

US first lady Melania Trump and her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan share a laugh as they visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, in Washington on September 24. Photo: AFP

How was dinner? Takeaways from Xi and Trump’s evening at the White House

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sit together during a state dinner at the White House on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump toasts with Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan during the dinner. Photo: AP

Tesla CEO Elon Musk raises a glass with American first lady Melania Trump. Photo: AP

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman talks with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the dinner. Photo: AP

The state dinner menu printed in Chinese. Photo: AP

China’s first lady Peng Liyuan projects glamour and soft power on world stage

On April 6, 2017, US President Donald and his wife, Melania, pose for a photo with Chinese President Xi Jingping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the entrance of Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan arrive at Palm Beach International Airport in 2017. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan arrive at Cairo International Airport for an official visit to Egypt earlier this month. Photo: AFP

Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan visit Banchang Primary School in Beijing in November 2017. Photo: AP

Inside Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan’s visit to the Smithsonian’s Peacock Room

US first lady Melania Trump and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan visit the  Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

From left, Peng, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art director Chase Robinson and Trump during a tour of the Peacock Room. Photo: AFP

Trump and Peng with students from Hope Chinese School at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

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Even small details and gestures during Xi and Trump’s summit in Washington were rife with meaning


Even small details and gestures during Xi and Trump’s summit in Washington were rife with meaning.


From body language to ping-pong, decoding the symbolism during Xi and Trump’s meeting

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Even small details and gestures during Xi and Trump’s summit in Washington were rife with meaning

1. From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner leans on historic symbolism

Even small details and gestures during Xi and Trump’s summit in Washington were rife with meaning