DOMINANT ANGLE
Brussels sees this summit as a protocol staging rather than a diplomatic breakthrough: it is by breaking with tradition - a personal welcome at the airport, a red carpet, a state banquet - that Trump compensates for his political weakness, while the only concrete progress remains the extension of the trade truce until January 10.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Trump broke protocol by personally greeting Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday evening, a gesture usually reserved for a minister.
- 02
The trade truce between Washington and Beijing has been extended until January 10, although it was set to expire on November 10, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
- 03
According to a Chicago Council on Global Affairs survey cited by the VRT, 41% of Americans view China's territorial ambitions as a threat, compared to 52% in 2022.
ANALYSIS
Brussels, September 25, 2026. For the Belgian press, the Trump-Xi summit is seen less as a diplomatic breakthrough than as a carefully staged production. The VRT notes that Donald Trump broke with protocol by personally welcoming Xi Jinping on the tarmac of Andrews Air Force Base on Wednesday evening, a gesture that no American president normally makes for a foreign leader, usually reserved for a minister. The Flemish channel sees this as a sign of weakness rather than strength: Trump's popularity is at an all-time low in his two terms, the war against Iran that he himself triggered in February has kept the strait almost closed and driven up diesel prices, and Americans will renew their Congress in six weeks. "Trump hopes to buy results with the only thing he can offer for free: honor," the VRT summarizes, recalling that in 2017 he had offered a simple chocolate cake at Mar-a-Lago, compared to a state banquet for 125 guests in the East Room this time.
La Libre Belgique and the DH emphasize the same disruption of protocol, with a red carpet, military flyover, and arrival ceremony, before highlighting the only tangible result of the visit: the extension of the trade truce until January 10, announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Fox News, whereas the initial agreement was set to expire on November 10. No other progress is mentioned regarding Taiwan, chips, or artificial intelligence, topics that were nonetheless announced on the agenda for Thursday's talks at the White House. Xi Jinping, quoted by the Xinhua news agency, called on the two countries to be "partners rather than rivals" and nodded to Trump's slogan by mentioning the "great renewal of the Chinese nation" going hand in hand with "making America great again."
The VRT nonetheless nuances the balance of power by citing a survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs: only 41% of Americans today consider China's territorial ambitions a threat, compared to 52% in 2022, and 57% advocate for cooperation, even if 63% of Trump's MAGA base demands the opposite. The portrait of Peng Liyuan, a former singing superstar who became a brigadier general before becoming first lady, completes the Belgian coverage, which focuses more on the decor and personal relationships than on a substantive assessment.
SOURCES (3)
- La Libre BelgiqueMEDIUM
- VRT NWS NLMEDIUM
- Xi Jinping komt sterker naar Washington dan Trump lief is en toch hebben beide presidenten elkaar nodig | VRT NWS Nieuws
- LIVE Rode loper en militaire fly-over: Chinese president Xi met alle nodige eer ontvangen door Trump | VRT NWS Nieuws
- Ze was een zingende superster in China, nu staat ze als first lady naast Xi Jinping: wie is Peng Liyuan? | VRT NWS Nieuws
- DH (Dernière Heure)MEDIUM
