Romania

Bucharest, September 25, 2026. From Bucharest's perspective, the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping combines protocolary pomp and unresolved technological issues. On Wednesday evening, at Andrews Air Force Base, Xi Jinping was personally welcomed on the red carpet by Donald Trump and his wife Melania, an unusual gesture praised by the Chinese state media. Xinhua reported the Chinese leader's words: "Our two countries should be partners, not rivals," advocating for cooperation as the "main pillar" and competition "maintained within reasonable limits."

The Thursday summit, the second between the two leaders this year and the first visit by the Chinese number one to Washington in over a decade, brought together American tech giants at the state dinner: Elon Musk, Jensen Huang (Nvidia), and according to G4Media, Sam Altman (OpenAI). The Romanian press emphasizes that artificial intelligence occupied a central place in the discussions, alongside trade, Taiwan, and Chinese support for Iran, but that the deep mistrust on both sides "will probably prevent any significant progress," according to experts cited by Digi24.

On the technological front, Donald Trump stated on Thursday, before the summit, that Washington and Beijing both oppose any regulation of artificial intelligence, which he renames "super-intelligence" — a term, he specifies, that "sounds better." On Truth Social, he says he wants to "keep things exactly as they are," adding: "Our guarantee is the Department of Justice!" G4Media and Digi24, citing AFP and Agerpres, note that the United States and China remain engaged in a fierce competition for the development of AI.

An analysis by Digi24, quoting The Economist, situates this summit in a "strategic impasse" that Chinese advisors and researchers describe in echo to Mao Zedong's texts on "prolonged war" — a reading that contrasts with the official formula of "constructive relationship of strategic stability" adopted at the beginning of the year at Beijing's initiative.

In his toast, Xi mentioned George Washington's interest in Chinese porcelain and Sino-American cooperation against Japan during World War II, speaking of a "friendship forged in blood and fire," before recalling Nixon's historic visit to China.