BEIJING — It is uncertain whether U.S. President Donald Trump’s elaborate reception of his Chinese counterpart in Washington impressed President Xi Jinping, but the Chinese public clearly saw a powerful impact.
Trump’s uncommon airport greeting of Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, together with the bilateral and cultural events they attended, was extensively covered and praised by Chinese state media, conveying an image of China’s heightened stature.
Xiang Ziyu, a Beijing postgraduate student, told the Associated Press, “The U.S. reception standards for President Xi are very high, and I’m quite impressed because it shows that our country has become truly powerful.”
The sentiment was echoed by several AP interviewees and reflected in Chinese social‑media comments, which praised the two nations’ cooperation.
People’s Daily newspaper devoted its entire front page to the visit, publishing six photographs of the Xi‑Trump meetings.
On Baidu, China’s leading search engine, the top three search trends on Friday were the Trump‑Xi talks, the state dinner attended by Xi and Peng, and Xi’s Mid‑Autumn Festival greetings to the Chinese people.
Beijing resident Shen Zuohang expressed reassurance, citing the coverage and the leaders’ apparent agreement on trade, artificial intelligence, and security.
“We have no trade war and no military conflict. Even on the issue of Taiwan we are moving in a good direction instead of having heated confrontation,” Shen said.
“The two sides are handling issues in a more acquiescent way.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi urged Trump to oppose Taiwan’s independence—a democratic island claimed by Beijing—and to address the matter with care. Trump offered no immediate comment on Taiwan, though he has previously said U.S. arms sales to the island could be subject to negotiation with China.
Xiang, the student, said the summit overall sent a positive signal and will help improve the Chinese public’s opinion of the bilateral relationship.
“It is better than not communicating,” he said.
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Associated Press video producer Wayne Zhang in Beijing and writer Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.
