The Beijing summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping showed that competition between the United States and China need not become a zero-sum struggle for supremacy. Even as the two countries vie for technological leadership, complete economic decoupling is neither feasible nor desirable.
NEW HAVEN—The recent summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing produced no major breakthroughs on tariffs, Taiwan, or ongoing geopolitical conflicts like the Iran war, prompting many observers to dismiss it as inconsequential. Yet its restrained and cordial tone suggested a new, more pragmatic approach that implicitly acknowledges the two countries’ deep economic interdependence. The American and Chinese presidents were not viewing the bilateral relationship solely through the lens of geopolitical competition.