Success of Trump-Xi summit lies in what happens afterwards
Por Nong Hong — South China Morning Post – News feed
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Opinion Nong Hong Success of Trump-Xi summit lies in what happens afterwards
The real value of the Washington meeting between the presidents of the US and China is whether its understandings survive the next bilateral dispute
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Nong Hong Nong Hong, PhD, is executive director and senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, US, and a senior fellow with the Beijing Club for International Dialogue. Published: 8:30pm, 21 Sep 2026 Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this week, after the May talks in Beijing and before the November Apec summit in Shenzhen. This sequence of diplomacy will test if the commitment to building a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability” translates into practical arrangements.
The Washington meeting faces clear limits. Differences over trade, technology, industrial policy, Taiwan and regional security are deeply embedded in the relationship.
Washington will want results Trump can present at home: tariff reductions, greater Chinese purchases of agricultural and energy products, reliable access to critical minerals and new commercial contracts. Beijing will seek greater consistency in US policy, particularly on Taiwan, technology restrictions and trade measures.
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