At summit, China's Xi eased tensions with Trump without giving ground

"“China's primary goal,” said Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington-based Stimson Center, “is to aim for stability of the relationship: 'Please don't bother us. Please don't harass us. ... And let's find some rules of engagement that will allow us to proceed in relative peace and relative stability.'”"

"At the start of the summit, Xi deftly centered the issue of Taiwan, the disputed democratic island over which China claims sovereignty, putting Trump and future U.S. presidents on notice that they risk “clashes and conflicts” if Beijing's red lines are crossed."

"Xi hailed a “new positioning” between the world's two biggest economies, which he called a “constructive, strategically stable relationship,” a framework that Chinese state media said was meant to guide relations through the Trump term and beyond."

"Stability is key for Xi, who is looking to draw attention away from his nation's economic stagnation and to show the Chinese people that his government is working to improve the business environment and boost foreign trade. “That stability, in turn, gives more breathing room and allows China to better focus on its own stuff,” said Song Guoyou, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai."

President Donald Trump’s Beijing visit produced no major breakthroughs or agreements, but it avoided blunders and reduced friction in U.S.-China relations. Xi Jinping aimed to secure stability by signaling that China wanted the United States to avoid harassment and to follow clearer rules of engagement. Xi centered Taiwan at the start of the summit, warning that crossing China’s red lines could lead to clashes and conflicts. China also sought to move away from years of trade tensions and strategic competition toward a more manageable relationship. Xi promoted a “new positioning” described as a constructive, strategically stable relationship intended to guide ties through the Trump term and beyond. Stability was also framed as giving China breathing room to focus on domestic economic improvement and foreign trade.

Read at The Washington Post