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Editorial
Trump-Xi summit a key step towards managing conflict more wisely
The summit in Washington may not result in a grand bargain but discussions on AI, trade and the military offer hope of progress on managing disagreements
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Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
After eight hours of talks in New York, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng managed to lay the groundwork for the two countries’ leaders to meet this week. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump must be seen to make progress at their pivotal summit, even if few expect breakthroughs.
Xi will arrive at the White House for the first time since 2015, as a trade war truce is set to expire on November 10, effectively a deadline that exerts intense pressure on both sides. Most people do not expect a grand bargain, but it will be a win-win if they succeed in stabilising the most consequential bilateral relationship of our era. US and Chinese officials hailed positive talks on artificial intelligence (AI), trade and investment ahead of the summit.
The ceremonial weight is unmistakable. Washington will accord Xi an airport welcome of a kind not seen since a papal visit – a signal of how seriously the United States takes this relationship. Trump hinted he might attend November’s Apec meeting in Shenzhen. A pattern of high-level exchange is now consolidating, bringing with it a stabilising trend in a relationship that a fractured world can ill afford to see unravel.
No one, on either side, is harbouring grand expectations. Both governments understand that their relationship is deeply complicated – freighted with tariff disputes, technology rivalry, Taiwan tensions, and accumulated distrust. Yet both also understand something more fundamental. Despite their many conflicts, they must learn to live with one another. The world, facing compounding crises, needs their cooperation, not merely their competitive coexistence.
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