Trump’s Welcoming of Xi Jinping Sparks GOP Backlash

Last week President Donald Trump gave Chinese President Xi Jinping a state-level welcome that included a red-carpet arrival, a state dinner, a military flyover, and a tour of the National Archives to view the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The three-day summit produced no publicly announced policy deliverables, and observers noted that the event was largely a photo-op.

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U.S. officials have repeatedly accused the Chinese government of supporting Iran’s economy and military, as well as of committing decades of human-rights abuses. With the midterm elections less than two months away, many Republicans expressed concern that the lavish optics could distract from electoral messaging. Analysts of past summits note that leaders often use such meetings for symbolic gestures while working-level diplomats handle substantive negotiations.

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Dan Blumenthal, co-director of the Coalition Defense of Taiwan project at the American Enterprise Institute, warned that the optics of treating Xi “as an equal” benefit China and urged the administration to use more economic leverage.

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Trump and Xi are slated to meet again at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November and the G20 summit in December. Analysts note indications that the United States is “hollowing out” the G20 agenda to provide a backdrop for another Trump–Xi encounter.

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• “Trump and Xi are already scheduled to meet twice more this year—at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November and the G20 summit in December—and there are indications that the US is ‘hollowing out’ the G20 agenda to turn the summit into a backdrop for another Trump–Xi meeting,” — Dan Blumenthal

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