Thinking About China
Opinion

Trump–Xi Summit Seeks to Stay the Course

May’s summit between Xi and Trump shows that each wants to avoid tension and manage the competition between the two nations.
Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Trump–Xi Summit Seeks to Stay the Course
U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Chinese youth, a military honor guard, and military band as he departs Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on May 13, 2026. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Milton Ezrati
|Updated:
0:00
Commentary

Recent direct talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump seem to have done little to change the diplomatic and trade picture for either nation.

Google LogoMark Us Preferred on Google
Milton Ezrati
Milton Ezrati
Author
Milton Ezrati is a contributing editor at The National Interest, an affiliate of the Center for the Study of Human Capital at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and chief economist for Vested, a New York-based communications firm. Before joining Vested, he served as chief market strategist and economist for Lord, Abbett & Co. He also writes frequently for City Journal and blogs regularly for Forbes. His latest book is “Thirty Tomorrows: The Next Three Decades of Globalization, Demographics, and How We Will Live.”