CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “At a U.S.-China summit emphasizing personal rapport over progress on deep-seated differences, President Donald Trump blended tough talk with chumminess, calling Xi Jinping ‘a very special man.’
The two countries’ rivalry will be more clearly on display as the two presidents move on to Vietnam on Friday and outline conflicting visions for Asia’s future to regional leaders. Mr. Trump is promoting a ‘free and open’ region to counter the Chinese president’s drive to make his country its dominant power.
In Beijing on Thursday, Mr. Trump spoke in unusually conciliatory tones during joint appearances with Mr. Xi, hailing their ‘very good chemistry’ while also expressing hope for forceful action from Beijing.
Mr. Trump blamed past U.S. administrations, rather than Beijing, for what he described as a ‘very one-sided and unfair’ trade relationship, adding, ‘but we’ll make it fair and it’ll be tremendous to both of us.’
While thanking Mr. Xi for his recent efforts to restrict trade and banking ties with North Korea, he urged further steps to press Pyongyang to halt its nuclear-weapons program.”
-Michael C. Bender, Jeremy Page, and Chun Han Wong, “In China, Trump Employs Tough Talk, Flattery With Xi,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 9, 2017 10:33am