DOMINANT ANGLE
Canberra is particularly mindful of the lack of agreement on artificial intelligence, the only subject on which Xi Jinping publicly drew a red line in front of Donald Trump, despite the fanfare surrounding the summit.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The tariff truce has been extended until January 10, 2027, although it was set to expire in November, announced Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
- 02
Xi Jinping stated that artificial intelligence must remain "under human control", while Trump said he wants to "leave it exactly where it is".
- 03
CNN, Politico, and MS NOW were prevented from covering Xi's arrival despite a court ruling ordering the restoration of their access, which was only restored around noon.
ANALYSIS
Canberra, Friday, September 25, 2026. Australian media describe a Trump-Xi summit saturated with symbols but poor in decisions. Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping directly on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, a personal courtesy that Beijing had denied him during his own visit in May. The American president vaunted their "very great friendship" and assured that the two countries had "never understood each other better". On Thursday, a state dinner bringing together around 130 guests mixed military pomp and economic diplomacy: among the guests, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, and Jensen Huang, as well as the leaders of Boeing, BlackRock, Blackstone, and Paramount Skydance. Xi, for his part, was accompanied by no Chinese business leaders, only high-ranking officials of the Communist Party. Trump offered an eagle statue; Xi announced the sending of two pandas to the Atlanta zoo and the hosting of 100,000 American high school students in China over five years.
But the Australian press insists: behind the pomp, no substantial progress was announced on trade, Taiwan, Iran, or artificial intelligence. The only concrete decision, the tariff truce was extended until January 10, 2027, while it was to expire in November, announced Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. On AI, Xi repeated that its development must remain "always under human control", in contrast to Trump, who said he wants to "leave it exactly where it is" and speaks of "super intelligence". Xi again invoked the "Thucydides trap", the risk of war when a rising power displaces another established one — this time judging that it "can be overcome".
Another thread followed in Canberra: press access. CNN, Politico, and MS NOW were excluded from covering Xi's arrival despite a court decision ordering their reinstatement, which was only reestablished around noon. The major American networks did not broadcast the event live, in solidarity with CNN. For Australian media, this summit is more a matter of diplomatic theater than a substantive negotiation between the two largest global economies, the question of artificial intelligence remaining, more than trade or Taiwan, the point of friction that neither Washington nor Beijing has really settled.
