Since taking office in 2013, President Xi has visited the United States six times and met Trump twice on American soil. Their 2017 Mar-a-Lago meeting took place just over 70 days after Trump began his first term as U.S. president. The two countries focused on expanding the "pie" of mutual interests through trade, infrastructure, energy cooperation and high-level dialogue mechanisms.

By 2026, however, the international landscape had changed dramatically. The Russia-Ukraine conflict had emerged as a major source of global tension, tensions in the Middle East had escalated, trade disputes lingered and global supply chains were being reshaped. At the same time, the rapid development of AI had intensified technological competition.

Against this backdrop, the two meetings between Xi and Trump this year, in Beijing in May during Trump's state visit to China and in Washington, D.C. in September, have shifted noticeably in their focus from 2017. In addition to expanding cooperation, the focus is now also on managing competition and maintaining stability. In September, the two presidents discussed AI governance, counter-narcotics cooperation and student exchange and continued refining the goal set in May for building a relationship characterized by cooperation as the mainstay, competition kept within proper limits, manageable differences and expectations for peace.

The contrast between the meetings in 2017 and 2026 reflects a broader transformation in China-U.S. relations. The question is now not just how to make the pie larger, but also how to make the table it's sitting on more stable under geopolitical pressure. Competition is now openly acknowledged as a structural reality in the bilateral relationship, but both sides appear increasingly aware that unchecked confrontation would carry enormous costs not only for themselves, but for the wider world.

The importance of continued focus on building cooperation was emphasized by Xi, who said in Washington, D.C. that he was visiting to carry on friendship and expand cooperation. China-U.S.

cooperation alone cannot solve every global problem, but without cooperation between the world's two largest economies, many global challenges become far more difficult to address. Climate change, AI governance, global financial stability and public health all require some degree of coordination between Beijing and Washington.

Another notable theme of the visit was people-to-people exchange. During the recent summit, children once again sang Jasmine Flower together, echoing the cultural symbolism of the 2017 summit. China further pledged to invite 100,000 American teenagers to China over the next five years for study and exchange programs. Relations between nations ultimately depend on connections between people. Even in a more divided and competitive world, both countries continue to recognize the value of preserving human ties.

The Xi-Trump summit in September did not erase strategic competition between China and the United States. What it demonstrated instead was a growing understanding that stability has become a shared interest. In an era marked by fragmentation and uncertainty, but also by unprecedented interdependence, the fundamental task of keeping the channels of communication open is more important than ever. BR

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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