Trump hosts Xi as the U.S. and China try to stabilize their trade relationship
The summit exposes a tension in U.S. China policy: Washington calls Beijing its chief strategic rival while both economies remain deeply interdependent.
What happened
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a state visit to Washington and met President Trump as the two governments worked to extend a fragile trade truce and manage disputes over technology, exports and security.
Republican / administration case
Trump argues that aggressive tariffs and economic pressure created leverage that brought China to the table, while personal diplomacy can now convert that leverage into better terms for the United States.
Democratic / critic case
Democratic critics generally support competing with China on security and technology but argue that broad tariffs have raised prices for Americans and strained alliances without clearly reducing China's industrial strength.
Libertarian / Cato case
Cato trade scholars argue that the long-running tariff strategy has imposed significant costs on U.S. consumers and firms while failing to achieve its central objectives. They favor more open trade and narrower, clearly defined security restrictions.
Where the disagreement really is
Most of the spectrum agrees China presents serious strategic and economic challenges. The disagreement is over whether broad tariffs and economic confrontation strengthen U.S. leverage or mostly impose costs on Americans while failing to change Chinese policy.