DOMINANT ANGLE
Berlin is interpreting the Trump-Xi summit as a demonstration of pomp without substance, where gestures and symbols - red carpet, eagle statue, pandas - took center stage while trade, Taiwan and artificial intelligence remained without agreement.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The customs truce has only been extended until January 10, without an agreement on rare earths, technology, or agriculture, according to Die Zeit
- 02
No Chinese business leader attended the state dinner despite last-minute hopes, while Musk, Jensen Huang, Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Sam Altman were there, according to the FAZ
- 03
Trump personally went to greet Xi on the tarmac, a first for an American president towards a Chinese head of state, according to the FAZ and Tagesschau
ANALYSIS
Berlin, September 25, 2026. The German press is particularly highlighting the contrast between the staging and the lack of results from the Trump-Xi summit in Washington. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) simply headlines "Gesten statt Ergebnisse" (gestures, not results): on Thursday, Donald Trump personally went to pick up Xi Jinping on the tarmac, a first for an American president towards a Chinese head of state, while Xi, in a Zhongshan suit as during the state dinner with Barack Obama in 2015, mentioned in his toast "a friendship forged in blood and fire" that "will last for generations", recalling Nixon's precedent in Beijing in 1972. Trump repeated on Friday that the two countries had "never been better understood".
The Tagesschau notes that the list of topics - AI, trade, Ukraine, Taiwan - remained long, but that the summit mainly offered "pomp and circumstance, little substance", according to former American diplomat Jeff Moon. The only concrete announcement from the opening: the extension of the customs truce, with the suspension of surtaxes and export restrictions until January 10. Trump offered Xi a white-headed eagle statue; Xi announced the sending of two pandas to the Atlanta zoo, presented as "ambassadors of friendship", and the invitation of 100,000 young Americans to China over five years.
The Handelsblatt emphasizes a contrast: American soldiers photographed on their knees, removing the last threads of the red carpet before Xi's arrival, while Washington still classifies Beijing as a threat in its strategic documents and accuses it of supporting Russia and Iran. The FAZ also documents the notable absence of Chinese bosses at the state dinner despite their hopes until the last minute: the list of guests included Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Sam Altman, the Frenchman Bernard Arnault, and the German Michael Miebach (Mastercard) - but no Chinese leaders.
For Die Zeit, this summit is among "the strangest state visits in recent US history": Trump excluded several media outlets, leaving Chinese state channels to cite the event to their advantage, while Taiwan, rare earths, technology, and agriculture remain without an agreement.
SOURCES (4)
- ZEIT OnlineMEDIUM
- FAZMEDIUM
- HandelsblattMEDIUM
