President Trumps critics proclaim a failure. The New York Times, for instance, says the president “left China without any breakthroughs”, meanwhile mocking Trump for calling President Xi “a friend.”
The narrative is that the summit failed to meet expectations. Given the stock markets plunge the day after the visit concluded, that assessment seems reasonable. Fortune wrote that the trade deals did not live up to investors hopes; probably more important was that there was no movement towards opening the Strait of Hormuz.
But consider the message Trump delivered to President Xi and to the people of China. Though it fell short of Trump shocking Xi by announcing he had just bombed Syria over a piece of “delicious chocolate cake” in 2017, surprising his hosts by including a veritable galaxy of Americas business stars in the summit sent an equally strong message.
Trumps extraordinary entourage of CEOs running globally dominant companies reminded the world:
1. The U.S. is winning in AI;
2. The U.S. is winning in energy;
3. The U.S. economy is second to none.
The Chinese like rigid schedules and scripts; they do not like surprises. That Trump included the thirty or so with Xi threw the Chinese off guard and the program off schedule. That was the point.
Trump told Fox host , “It was a long meetingâ¦It started off interestingly because they are very organized people.” Trump explained, “I suggested that before we start the meeting, I would like to introduce them to you. And they were surprised because it wasnt, you know, it wasnt scheduled. And they looked around and they said Er…”.
Trump elaborated: “The Chinese leadership, because it was President Xi and many other leaders… they got used to the fact that we were a little off-schedule here and were talking about a subject that wasnt even thought about.”
Just like that, on Xis turf. The Chinese dignitaries may have adjusted to it, but you can bet they didnt like it. So, when CNN claims that Xi “set the tone” of the summit, they are wrong.
It is true that from the start by threatening that any change in the U.S. posture towards Taiwan could have grave consequences. Media outlets breathlessly reported this stern warning. Did they or did Xi really think the U.S. was eager to tackle another thorny geopolitical conflict? Xi was playing to his home audience, talking tough about Taiwans independence to counter Trumps bold assault on Chinas diminished axis of allies.
After all, China has been losing the geopolitical battle as well as the battle for tech supremacy. President Trump has neutralized Venezuela, Chinas most important ally in , and is well on the way to rescuing Cuba from its 67 years of Beijing-assisted Communist misery.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has not only pummeled militarily but is also currently cutting off its oil exports. China relies on those shipments, especially since it can no longer count on Venezuela to help supply the 70%+ of the oil it imports. And lets not ignore Russia, which is struggling to keep up its 5-year-long war with neighbor Ukraine that “experts” thought would be over in months. The Economist reports that “the tide of war is beginning to change” and that “Ukraine has begun to claw back territory.” If Russia strongman Vladimir Putin is losing, ally Xi is losing, too.
But President Trumps visit mainly showcased what the U.S. has that China does not have: today. That supremacy is key to U.S. growth and power.
China has failed to achieve the stated goals of past five-year plans, which have repeatedly called to increase , lessen the countrys dependence on exports and cut back on debt-fueled infrastructure spending. None of those objectives has been met.
The latest plan, the 15th, called for greater self-reliance as it pushes tech advancements, while at the same time seeking increased foreign investment to help achieve that self-reliance. As the world, led by Trump, has b
