Beijing's top priority in the China-US summit

The Trump-Xi Jinping summit is a clash of two different policies and two contrasting personalities. So what are China's priorities?

According to Reuters news agency, an anonymous Chinese official said: "Ensuring President Xi Jinping does not lose face (in the China-US summit) is China's top priority."

The meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is a clash of two different policies and two contrasting personalities. Photo: CNN.com

Previously, US President Donald Trump has repeatedly put world leaders in “embarrassing and awkward” situations with his erratic and unpredictable actions. One notable example is the meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, where Trump held the Japanese leader’s hand tightly for 19 seconds without letting go.

Or like the time he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr. Trump made the photo-taking atmosphere somewhat awkward because he repeatedly ignored reporters' requests for the two to shake hands. Even because he could not control his temper, Mr. Trump suddenly hung up the phone while talking to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Experts say the Xi Jinping-Donald Trump meeting will mark a "confrontation" not only of two completely different policies but also of two opposing personalities.

A former senior US official specializing in Asia commented: “Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump are not natural friends. The big question in the next meeting is how will Mr. Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again’ policy meet Mr. Xi’s ‘China Dream’?”

Except for one thing in common, which is their statements about building and developing their countries stronger than ever, the two leaders are different in all aspects, from political style to diplomatic experience, and this seems to make the chance of building bilateral relations between the two countries even more fragile.

Five months into his presidency, it seems that every policy of Mr. Trump tends to lead to a clash, rather than a reconciliation, with Mr. Xi Jinping. This raises doubts about whether the world's two largest economies can find common ground.

Before becoming the owner of the White House, Mr. Trump was a real estate businessman and had no diplomatic experience. He once shared on Twitter that the meeting with the Chinese leader would be a “very difficult” meeting. He accused China’s trade policies of taking away jobs from the American people and once criticized China for “currency manipulation.”

Not only that, in disagreement on the North Korea issue, Mr. Trump has repeatedly asked China to "do more" to stop North Korea's nuclear program.

Some White House officials believe that Mr. Trump's son-in-law and close senior advisor, Mr. Jared Kushner, will be a key factor influencing the course of the conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi Jinping on April 6-7.

According to Kienthuc.net.vn