While Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s first meeting last week in Palm Beach, Florida may have been a bit dull and ended abruptly without a joint press conference or resolution, it does appear that the two leaders did manage to get something done.
In order to avoid a looming trade war, China will offer “better market access for financial sector investments and US beef exports,” as part of a wider 100-day plan that is still being hashed out by both sides, according to the Financial Times.
For China, these two concessions are not so burdensome. At the end of Barack Obama’s second term in office, China was already reportedly close to allowing majority foreign ownership in securities and insurance companies in China. Meanwhile, China has had a ban on American beef since 2003; taking it down will do a little something towards reducing China’s $346 billion annual trade surplus with the US that has been one of Trump’s main bashing points.
Other than American beef, it remains to be seen what China will get back in trade negotiations.

Just before the summit, Trump asked his staff to begin going country by country in order to pinpoint who exactly is responsible for America’s nearly $50 billion trade deficit. Trump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross admitted that in the end they will find that China is the main culprit; however, Ross was quick to explain that that doesn’t necessarily mean that China is evil.
Trump had said that his meeting with Xi was going to “very difficult,” but it appears to have been a relatively straightforward, refreshingly gaffe-free affair that was largely overshadowed by Trump’s strike against Syria.
“The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding,” Trump said at the end of the visit. “We look forward to being together many times in the future. And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away.”

It was a great honor to have President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan of China as our guests in the United States. Tremendous…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2017

…goodwill and friendship was formed, but only time will tell on trade.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2017

While China stopped short of condemning the US missile strike against a Syrian airbase, Chinese state media published editorials scolding Trump for his brash action, referencing past American missile attacks that did not achieve their goals.
“Trump’s decision to attack the Assad government is a show of force from the US president,” a Global Times editorial reads. “He wants to prove that he dares to do what Obama dared not. He wants to prove to the world that he is no ‘businessman president’ and that he will use US military force without hesitation when he considers it necessary.”