For a moment, it looked like President Trump and China President Xi Jinping (pictured) had buried the hatchet at APEC. Then, just as eyes turned away from the Korean summit, Xi picked up an ax. Trump celebrated his high-profile breakthrough with Beijing as a victory on tariffs, a promise of massive soybean purchases and an agreement to stop the flow of the chemicals that fuel fentanyl. But by the next day, the smiles had vanished as Xi used his closing remarks to take an unmistakable swipe at his American rival.
In a pointed message delivered to business leaders, Xi took a thinly veiled swipe at Washington’s trade policies—positioning China as the champion of free markets while warning regional partners against joining America’s campaign to decouple from Chinese supply chains. ‘APEC economies should oppose protectionism, resist unilateral bullying and prevent the world from returning to the law of the jungle,’ he declared—words experts widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Trump’s approach to trade. This was a stark contrast to how Xi responded to Trump during their face-to-face meeting. ‘China and the US should be partners and friends,’ President Xi said during their summit. ‘This is what history has taught us and what reality demands.’
Brent Sadler (not pictured), a former military diplomat with decades of experience in Asia , believes that Xi’s post–summit remarks were both a response to the meeting and an assertion of China ‘s growing power. ‘Trump very clearly set the stage for this meeting, flexing his position,’ Sadler said. ‘What we saw after the summit was Xi returning to familiar rhetoric. It wasn’t hostile, but it wasn’t friendly. It was more of a cold, businesslike engagement, and Xi was clearly sending a message.’ Sadler described Xi’s comments as ‘catty,’ adding, ‘It wasn’t just a swipe; it was almost like a threat. Xi was telling others not to side with the Americans, which is a strategic move to reinforce China’s influence in the region.’
This, according to Sadler, reveals the true nature of the US–China relationship — not a friendship, but a complex and tense negotiation, where both sides are playing a long game. This isn’t the first time the two sides have made a deal, only for it to unravel shortly after. The last agreement struck between China and the US was effectively discarded just months after being put in place. ‘I have seen this movie before,’ Sadler said. ‘Promises from Beijing have often been made, but not followed through on. We’ll see if this time is any different.’ Asia–region analysts tell Daily Mail that while Trump’s team may have secured some initial concessions, it remains to be seen whether these will hold up over the long term – skeptical of China’s ability to meet it’s commitments on issues like fentanyl control and export controls.
‘The US needs to ensure China adheres to its commitments. The handshake deal in South Korea is only meaningful if it’s followed up with action. Trump’s team needs to keep the pressure on,’ Sadler added. The next big summit between Trump and Xi, expected in April, will likely reveal whether these trade talks can move beyond the surface –– and if history is any indicator –– if a part of their agreement derails. A former senior Biden administration official tells the Daily Mail it’s hard to see the deal stick. One tell: No text of a joint agreement was ever released. Pictured: President Donald Trump takes part in a welcoming ceremony with China’s President Xi Jinping on November 9, 2017 in Beijing, China.
‘President Xi has been willing to push back against Trump , so I could see him changing terms of the deal if Trump posts something in the middle of the night on X with an entirely new policy,’ the Senior Administration official said. Asked for a response to Xi, a White House aide noted that the US is also playing the long game. ‘We’re a threat to them, too… I think we get along very well, and I think we can be bigger, better and stronger by working with them as opposed to just knocking them out,’ the official said.
