Published: 8:00am, 26 Apr 2025Updated: 8:23am, 26 Apr 2025
When Chinese President Xi Jinping met Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago for the first time in April 2017, the summit was seen as a key moment to build personal rapport following the tariff threats made during Trump’s first presidential campaign.
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The meeting at Trump’s Florida estate reflected Beijing’s willingness to move quickly in engaging an unpredictable new US president and helped underscore how leader-level diplomacy was once viewed as essential to stabilising ties.
Fast forward to Trump’s second term, where there is no apparent prospect of any meeting, even though he had expressed his willingness to meet Xi during his first 100 days back in the White House.
Instead China has become more assertive towards Trump, reacting to his tariffs with a series of countermeasures of its own and indicating that it has no intention of backing down.
It has also become much more fiery in its rhetoric, repeatedly attacking American “bullying”, while seeking to rally international support for its stance both among its neighbours and by reaching out to long-term US allies such as Japan and South Korea.
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Although some analysts believe Beijing may be biding its time to work out what Trump’s strategic intentions are, this approach may also be an indication of a hardening of attitudes this time round – possibly as a result of its experiences during his first term.
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‘Fake news’: Chinese officials dismiss claims of US trade war consultations
‘Fake news’: Chinese officials dismiss claims of US trade war consultations