DOMINANT ANGLE
London is separating the ceremonial pomp displayed in Washington from the lack of any progress on trade, Taiwan or artificial intelligence.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The so-called "Busan agreement" trade truce has only been extended until January 10, while Beijing had hoped for a year, according to the BBC.
- 02
Xi Jinping has demanded that artificial intelligence remain "under human control", two days after Trump called concerns over AI a "hoax" (The Independent).
- 03
CNN and MS NOW were denied access to coverage of Xi's arrival at the state dinner Thursday evening, despite a federal court ruling that had temporarily overturned Trump's ban (The Independent).
ANALYSIS
London, Friday, September 25, 2026. For the British press, the Trump-Xi summit will remain less of a diplomatic event than a carefully choreographed show. The American president personally welcomed his Chinese counterpart on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday evening, rolling out a red carpet flanked by military personnel and greeted by a flyover of B-1 bombers — a gesture that Trump himself had described as "so bad" when Obama offered it to Xi in 2012, recalls the Guardian.
The state dinner on Thursday, in the East Room, brought together American tech bosses around the two presidents. Trump offered Xi a statue of an eagle, "the national symbol of the United States and the embodiment of the free and ascending spirit of America". Xi, for his part, warned against the "Thucydides trap", calling on the two countries to "coexist in peace" rather than confrontation, in a climate of tensions over artificial intelligence, trade, and Taiwan.
But behind the pomp, the BBC highlights the lack of concrete results: the so-called "Busan agreement" trade truce has only been extended until January 10, whereas Beijing had hoped for a year, leaving tariffs, Chinese access to American chips, and rare earths in limbo. On artificial intelligence, Xi demanded that it "remain under human control", two days after Trump called it a "hoax".
The Guardian notes another discrepancy: China, ranked 178th in the press freedom index by Reporters Without Borders, compared to 64th for the United States, while CNN and MS NOW were denied access to coverage of Xi's arrival on Thursday evening — despite a federal court decision that temporarily overturned Trump's ban on these channels. Former diplomat Michael McFaul judges this contrast "wrong and embarrassing".
Even the internal protocol is stirring up commentators: the seat reserved for Ivanka Trump in the front row, ahead of Secretaries of State Rubio and Bessent, has sparked controversy even within the Republican camp. For London, the summit illustrates above all a well-rehearsed theatre where the displayed friendship masks underlying disagreements that remain intact.
SOURCES (4)
- The IndependentMEDIUM
- Daily MailMEDIUM
