Project Pengyou intern, Karisma Wilson, writes about the first official meeting between the American and Chinese Presidents.

American and Chinese presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met last week in the United States, concluding their first face-to-face talk on a positive note. It is said the two discussed the growing trade deficit between the two countries and the unique, diplomatic start to the Trump administration, keeping cordiality with a performance of a Chinese song by President Trump’s granddaughter and an invitation for the U.S. president to visit China.

The meeting appeared to be out of precedent for China’s customary waiting period in engaging with U.S. presidents, but as the economy continues to slow down, there was a sense of urgency to begin communication between the two economic powers. The discussion was described as friendly and without incident, calming many fears that the United States is adopting a bellicose attitude toward China. It was revealed the two leaders have created a 100-day plan that will increase market access and U.S. exports to China, hoping to ease the growing trade imbalance.

“We have a thousand reasons to get China-U.S. relations right, and not one reason to spoil the China-US relationship,” –Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China

It was also expected that the leaders would discuss the current nuclear threat in North Korea, but most discussion on this topic was eclipsed by the recent US airstrike in Syria. It was said that Trump’s actions in Syria during the China-US summit were an attempt to encourage China to take action in dissuading North Korea from pursuing missile and nuclear weapons programs. Both parties agreed the threat has reached a very serious stage, but it is unknown if this will affect China’s longstanding aversion to military interventions in the affairs of other countries.

Chinese media was critical of the United States’ course of action, but considered the meeting to be encouraging over all, as a demonstration that conflict between the two nations was not inevitable. China Daily classified both parties as “equally enthusiastic about the constructive relationship they have promised to cultivate.”

Finally, the two presidents agreed to restructure bilateral dialogues, with a comprehensive pillars including overseeing diplomatic and security, economic, law enforcement and cybersecurity, and social and culture issues. We hope these new dialogues will open the door to further cooperation and that both sides will continue to see the value of a stable bilateral US-China relationship.

Sources: CNBC, Reuters, New York Times, Nikkei Asian Review, South China Morning Post