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This month, President Donald Trump held talks in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The purpose of the visit was to have high-level diplomatic discussions on subjects such as trade and Taiwan, which the Chinese government views as a breakaway province that rightfully belongs to China. Trump was welcomed with the usual pomp and display that China is famous for providing to high-level visiting dignitaries. The photos and video taken of Trump鈥檚 arrival, which appeared to show U.S.-China unity, could not have been more different from what actually transpired over the next three days.

One major expectation of the meeting was that tariffs and the trade war would be discussed. Both nations are in an uneasy truce that has temporarily lowered import taxes. However, when asked if the truce would continue, Trump stated that tariffs were not discussed because 鈥渢hey were not brought up.鈥� It is hard to believe that Trump and his handlers would not have tariffs on the agenda of such a high-level meeting, but this is exactly what he stated.

At face value, one positive outcome of the meeting for the U.S. was Boeing鈥檚 announcement that China would be placing an order for some of its aircraft. It was initially thought that China would purchase 500 airplanes. But Boeing announced it would only sell 200, less than half of what was originally announced. Although this deal could be viewed as a win, China鈥檚 under-purchase resulted in Boeing鈥檚 stock dropping 4% after the meeting. Furthermore, China did not publicly confirm this deal.

Another major goal for Trump at the meeting was to secure contracts with China to buy U.S. beef and soybeans. The American beef and agricultural sectors have been some of the hardest hit by the tariffs imposed by China in its trade war with the U.S. After the meeting, there was no announcement or indication that China would increase its purchase of either beef or soybeans, nor were there other trade deals in any other sectors announced at the conclusion of the visit.

China played hardball and made its stance on Taiwan clear. It stated that Taiwan is the most sensitive of U.S.-China diplomatic issues and that any mishandling on Taiwan could outright trigger 鈥渃lashes and conflicts.鈥� This was a very strong public statement, indicating that China believes that there is no wiggle room for negotiations on this issue. When initially asked about what transpired on Taiwan, Trump refused to respond. He eventually stated that his position on Taiwan had not changed and he wished that both China and Taiwan 鈥渨ould cool down.鈥�

Trump did announce that China had agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should be open to traffic, and that Iran should not have a nuclear bomb. Both of these points are very obvious to China, which receives a substantial portion of its oil from Iran. For this same reason, it would not want a destabilized Middle East with Iran having such a powerful weapon that incites the U.S. and Israel to attack it. China did say that in the U.S.-Iran war, both parties鈥� viewpoints should be taken into consideration.

The conclusion of the three-day meeting was extremely confusing, with both sides issuing statements that made it appear as though each country was at a different meeting. Not even a joint communique was issued, as is customary. On his return to the U.S., Trump stated:

鈥淲e did great trade deals. We have great relationships, and a lot of things have happened, and you鈥檒l be hearing about them, but that was a tremendous success. I think it really was a historic moment.鈥�

Xi stated that China-U.S. trade ties are 鈥渕utually beneficial and win-win in nature.鈥� However, no specific trade deals were mentioned.

A week after the Trump-Xi meeting, Xi hosted Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Again, Xi rolled out the red carpet for a visiting leader. Xi called Putin his 鈥渙ld friend,鈥� and proceeded to fawn over China鈥檚 relationship with Russia. Both sides issued statements condemning the U.S. war in Iran, which is extremely hypocritical, given Putin鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine. They also criticized U.S. 鈥淕olden Dome鈥� efforts, which would use space to build a defense perimeter for the U.S. And unlike with the U.S., Xi signed a joint communique with Putin stating that China-Russia relations were at an 鈥渦nprecedentedly high level鈥� and that their relations were the 鈥渕ain stabilizing factors on the international stage.鈥� This latter statement clearly reveals that Xi views U.S. power as diminishing across the globe.

Trump鈥檚 takeaway from his meeting with Xi is a supposed deal for aircraft that will be ordered and an agreement on points pertaining to Iran. From Xi鈥檚 side, he got to be somebody who was courted without giving up very much. His subsequent hosting of Putin and their joint communiques served to put the U.S. on notice that China is not a friend of the U.S., but a formidable adversary with options that will not bend to U.S. diplomacy or policy.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the nonprofit International Business Accelerator. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or jerry@nmiba.com.