How can Xi get along with Trump?

eastasiaforum.org

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2 April 2017
Author: Zha Daojiong, Peking University

Excerpt:

The timing for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week is just about right. This month, Trump will have been in office for a full one hundred days. In March, China convened its National People’s Congress meetings, an occasion for leaders at various levels of government to harmonise approaches to governing China for the remainder of the year. In both countries expectations for the two leaders to prioritise substance over formality are well justified. Two days are reserved for the occasion, a clear indication of commitment to achieving their respective goals. ...

China’s wish for a stable trade and investment relationship with the United States will be easier to meet if its public diplomacy can empathise with those Americans who feel left behind by the forces of globalisation. This can begin by acknowledging that the history of globalisation has been one of transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor countries of the world. At the same time, though, the delivery of lower-cost consumer products from emerging economies has helped lift the welfare of needy consumers in societies like the United States. ...