, Columnist
The US Had the Spotlight, China Stole the Show
Xi-style diplomacy.
Photo: Daniel Ceng/Anadolu/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump may have grabbed the headlines during last week’s Asia tour, but deft diplomacy made his Chinese rival, Xi Jinping, the star of the show.
The leaders found common ground on some of their most contentious issues when they met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. China will suspend certain controls on rare-earth exports and restart purchases of American farm goods. In return, the US will freeze parts of its tariff program and halve fentanyl-related duties. But this is temporary — some of the measures are only meant to last one year.