What summit? US TV blackout and midterms turmoil overshadow red-carpet treatment
Por Orange Wang,Caroline Lin — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement 2026 Xi-Trump summits China Diplomacy What summit? US TV blackout and midterms turmoil overshadow red-carpet treatment
Xi Jinping’s arrival was not covered by major American networks in protest over Donald Trump’s ban on three news groups
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Orange Wang and Caroline Lin Published: 9:54pm, 25 Sep 2026 Updated: 9:55pm, 25 Sep 2026 Domestic US political turmoil and Donald Trump’s feud with the media overshadowed a summit that Beijing hoped would project an image of China on equal footing and help stabilise ties with the United States. Trump rolled out the full red-carpet treatment for Chinese President Xi Jinping as he paid his first state visit to the US in over a decade. In addition to Trump and his wife Melania greeting Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan on the tarmac on arrival, the “many special arrangements” included a lavish state dinner at the White House.
But most Americans saw little footage of that hospitality as major US networks suspended live telecasts in an escalating feud with the US president, casting a shadow over diplomatic efforts to foster warm relations and stability between the two powers.
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