Beyond the summit: how US-China relations could still unravel

At a Chinese National Day reception in Washington this year, the atmosphere was notably more cheerful compared to previous years. Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng delivered an upbeat speech and even made jokes about the panda ambassadors. The positive mood followed President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to the US, where he received unprecedentedly high-level hospitality from President Donald Trump. However, outside the embassy, opposition Democrats criticized Trump for what they saw as a misguided foreign policy move by cozying up to "communist" China, viewing it as a betrayal of American allies and national interests. The mainstream media either downplayed the visit or focused on its lack of tangible progress, while even some of Trump's allies admitted in private that the timing was not right for major breakthroughs.