[Beijing Diary] The Hidden Achievements of Xi Jinping's Visit to the US

Despite the excitement and anticipation surrounding it, the US-China summit failed to produce any meaningful outcomes. After intense back-and-forth and prior contacts, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States for the first time in six years, but the meeting was generally regarded by insiders as uneventful.

From the perspective of producing news defined as 'new things,' the actions of the two leaders were highly uncooperative. Neither side made any new statements or definitive conclusions regarding China's 'yelin' (taboo) Taiwan issue, and there was no public comment on the US sanctions related to semiconductor equipment targeting China. Although these topics were likely discussed in private and working-level meetings, and some behind-the-scenes negotiations may have been reached, it is probable that they are withholding information because the timing is not yet right. Both issues are extremely sensitive and contentious, so it would be inappropriate to expose anything prematurely.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Other than the resumption of high-level military communication between the two countries, the only notable outcome was a relatively low-difficulty agreement to increase the number of flights. Even within China, this was regarded as the sole significant strategic result, with Professor Su Xin-hong of the International Relations Department at Renmin University of China describing it as the resumption of military communication.

However, some view Xi Jinping’s visit to the US as a step forward in terms of his external image. The key contributor to this achievement was Hua Chunying, China’s Deputy Foreign Minister and spokesperson. Hua took various photos and videos in areas off-limits to reporters and shared them on her social media accounts. An anecdote about President Biden showing Xi a photo of 'young Xi Jinping' on his phone, asking "Do you know who this young man is?" and sharing a laugh with him was also revealed to the public through Hua.

Additionally, Hua shared images of Xi smiling brightly while holding an NBA team uniform gifted by California Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as scenes of Xi personally introducing the Chinese brand car 'Hongqi' to President Biden. She also posted a photo showing a Hongqi vehicle parked slightly ahead of a Cadillac, symbolizing a subtle positioning. Another photo conveyed a friendly message by comparing the physical distance between the US and Chinese leaders in 2022 in Bali and in 2023 in San Francisco, showing the latter as much closer. Of course, it is unlikely that all these scenes were Hua’s personal decisions alone.

In any case, China’s social media diplomacy performed relatively well. Bloomberg News commented that "usually impassive President Xi Jinping showed a softer and friendlier side in San Francisco." It also reported that "just hours after reminiscing about his first US visit 38 years ago with President Biden, Xi received an NBA team uniform and mentioned plans to send pandas to American zoos."

As long as China does not halt its technological advances toward US hegemony, fierce competition and mutual checks will remain the default state of US-China relations. This summit merely clarified each country’s stance on political, diplomatic, and economic stages. However, it is meaningful in that, unlike in the past, sharp expressions and language were avoided, and even if it was just a facade, a friendlier face was shown. The fact that all Chinese state media uniformly featured the 'young Xi Jinping from 38 years ago' photo days before the summit is clear evidence of this preparation for friendliness.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.