How China and the US felt the weight of history behind Trump and Xi’s meeting in Beijing

Both sides have been sending out similar signals after this week’s summit as they stress the importance of the occasion The way they have tried to frame the interactions between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping revealed both sides’ eagerness to emphasise the importance of the occasion. When Trump asked Xi whether other foreign leaders had been welcomed to Zhongnanhai, the Chinese leader replied that few had been granted such access. The exchange, as the two leaders strolled past centuries-old cypress trees in the walled compound’s gardens, captured the careful choreography behind the event. Xi later described the summit as one that had been “watched closely by the world”, while Trump said: “All I can say is that was a great success. It was fantastic, we made great deals.”

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