XI JINPING IN WASHINGTON: WHY DO RIVALS MEET?
Region: Global
Author: Laszlo Enyedi • September 25, 2026
The meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday was undoubtedly important. Its significance may lie less in what the two leaders agreed than in what the meeting itself reveals about the balance of power.
The United States and China are rivals, but they are also deeply connected. What happens in the Chinese economy can affect the United States, and the reverse is equally true. Neither leader can make decisions as though the other country does not exist.
That is why the meeting matters. Leaders have little reason to negotiate when they believe they can achieve their aims alone. Here, rivalry exists alongside a practical need to talk. The balance of power gives both sides a reason to keep a channel open, even when they disagree.
Thursday also brought together two leaders with strikingly different styles. Xi Jinping presents himself with unfailing seriousness. Donald Trump’s more theatrical manner may make him seem, to the untrained eye, less serious. Yet both understand the value of keeping their aims concealed until they are ready to reveal them.
A meeting cannot, by itself, resolve the tensions between the United States and China. It can show, however, that both leaders see a reason to manage those tensions through direct conversation.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The meeting shows that the United States and China must deal with each other, even when they would rather not. It offers hope that, when disputes arise, both sides may choose negotiation over confrontation. With competition over advanced technology, including AI, intensifying, keeping that channel open matters enormously.