As Trump and Xi prepare to meet, an opportunity for a Sino-US grand deal presents itself

Victor Nee says that, despite their starkly different personalities, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping actually have much in common. Now, with reciprocal visits all but sealed, it remains to be seen how the two presidents steer the bilateral relationship

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After initial hiccups, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are set to meet as early as next month at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The two leaders must see in their newfound warmth an opportunity for a wide-ranging agreement between the US and China. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:45am, 15 Mar 2017Updated: 5:19pm, 30 Mar 2017

US President Donald Trump has embarked on an unprecedented form of foreign policy, using his Twitter account to remake the world order. One pole of any emergent world order is China. Here, his provocations, including the phone call with Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, off-the-cuff remarks on rethinking the US stance on the one-China policy, and campaign charges labelling China a currency manipulator, are nothing less than confrontational.

Yet, Trump has had what he describes as a very friendly phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping (習近平). What does this mean for the future of an uncertain US-China relationship?

Politics aside, Trump and Xi could bond as ‘strong men’

Under the surface of Trump’s bluster and China’s quiet diplomacy are two countries led by men who have much in common. Both are nationalists seeking to restore their country’s greatness. Trump’s campaign to “make America great again” and Xi’s “Chinese dream” both aim to achieve nationalist restoration.

Both men inherited the capital that launched their careers. Trump came into his financial capital from his father’s real estate business, and Xi was a princeling and heir to the political capital of his father, a respected leader of the Chinese communist revolution.

An undated photo of Xi Jinping with his father, Xi Zhongxun (in wheelchair), wife Peng Liyuan and young daughter. The elder Xi, a revolutionary veteran and one of the founding fathers of the Communist Party, died in 2002 aged 89. Photo: Xinhua

Both men used their inherited capital to launch ambitious careers in their own ways. Trump built a global brand, and far-flung real estate and brand-name empire. Xi turned to a political career after graduating from Tsinghua University, first serving as personal secretary to a powerful member of the Politburo and then taking an unusual turn in assuming a job in Hebei ( 河北 ) province, as a deputy party secretary of a rural county. From there, he began a swift ascent from provincial leadership to the commanding heights of the country’s political elite.

Both [Xi and Trump] used their inherited capital to launch ambitious careers

However, though Trump and Xi inherited their respective forms of capital, both believe they are self-made. Of course, similarities in personal background come with obvious differences in personality. Trump is impulsive in responding to perceived criticism. He is thin-skinned, and quick to hit back with insults and counterpunches vented through hyperbole. Xi, by contrast, is an engineer by training, and is methodical and detailed in his planning and political moves.