MS NOW
MS NOWJan 1
Politics

'Asymmetry of praise' after Trump calls Xi 'friend' is a 'position of weakness': McFaul

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TL;DR

Trump's effusive praise of Xi as friend went unreciprocated — McFaul calls the asymmetry a sign of weakness with no concrete deliverables from the summit.

Key Insights

1

Trump called Xi 'friend' repeatedly at the state banquet, but Xi never reciprocated the phrase or praised Trump as a great leader — McFaul calls this asymmetry of praise 'a position of weakness' for the US president.

2

No deliverables — No tangible deliverables have emerged from the summit so far despite two days of meetings. The readouts are 'pablum' with stock phrases, and there's been zero public commitment from China to help on Ukraine or Iran.

3

Xi Jinping has kept Taiwan and Chinese economic dominance as permanent strategic goals. He can play the long game while Trump needs a quick political win before midterm elections, creating misaligned timelines and leverage.

4

Three US officials report private Chinese military companies are considering selling arms to Iran. McFaul emphasizes this would not happen without Xi's explicit sign-off in China's autocracy — it's not a free market for defense sales.

5

Business delegations from NVIDIA, Apple, and Qualcomm are pursuing near-term market access deals that may conflict with long-term US semiconductor dominance strategy and strategic competition with China.

Deep Dive

The asymmetry problem

Laura Barone-Lopez reports Trump spent the first day of the summit effusively praising Xi, calling him 'friend' multiple times, a great leader, and expressing eagerness to work together on economic issues and business deals. But behind closed doors, real tensions surfaced over Taiwan independence and the Iran war. The White House readout barely mentioned Taiwan while focusing on Iran, and it remains unclear what Trump actually said to Xi about Taiwan's status. McFaul zeroes in on the public posture: Trump kept repeating 'friend' while Xi never once called Trump a friend or even praised him as a leader. This one-sided praise is what strikes McFaul as unprecedented and revealing. He describes it plainly: 'That's a position of weakness.' The summit has no breakthrough moments coming, just a hollow exchange of pleasantries with no substance behind them.

China's long game vs Trump's quick win

Shihoko Goto explains the fundamental mismatch in what each side needs from this summit. China represents the world's second-biggest economy and can afford to play the long game on both economic relations and Taiwan. Xi's real ambitions are to dethrone the US as the world's dominant economy, especially in advanced technology, and eventually absorb Taiwan. Trump, facing political pressure heading into midterms, needs something tangible to bring home. Expectations center on the 'three Bs': Boeing, beef, and soybeans — if China buys American agriculture and aviation equipment, Trump gets a headline win. But from the US strategic perspective, remaining an economic and tech powerhouse means being extremely careful about Chinese access to semiconductors and advanced chip equipment. Yet a massive US corporate delegation including NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Apple executives is in Beijing pursuing market-access deals that could prioritize near-term profits over long-term strategic advantage. Goto notes this creates a direct tension: corporate executives want quick wins that may undermine America's technology dominance.

No leverage on Ukraine, Iran, or arms sales

While Trump sits with Xi in Beijing, Russia has unleashed its biggest aerial assault on Ukraine ever — more than 1,500 drones and dozens of missiles over two days. McFaul observes there's been no public or private commitment from Xi to help the US on either the Ukraine war or Iran. Xi Jinping is Vladimir Putin's ally, providing Russia with technology, buying their oil and gas to prop up the economy, and maintaining a partnership that directly contradicts Trump's diplomatic goals. The most troubling revelation comes from three US officials telling MSNBC that private Chinese military companies are considering selling arms to Iran. McFaul makes clear this cannot happen without Xi's explicit sign-off — China is an autocracy, not a free market, especially for military sales. If Trump wants to stop Chinese arms flowing to Iran, he would need to negotiate or even 'coercively negotiate,' yet the summit's entire tone suggests Trump sees a cordial meeting as success rather than pushing for concrete concessions that would actually help American soldiers and strategic interests.

Pageantry over substance

McFaul's final critique cuts to the heart of the problem: the summit is drowning in pageantry while delivering almost no substance. State banquets, toasts about friendship, corporate executives getting photo ops — it's all theater. But when you look at what's actually been won, there's nothing. No agreement from China to rein in military sales to Iran. No commitment to stop supporting Russia in Ukraine. No breakthrough deals for US businesses beyond vague 'productive meetings.' The readouts are empty stock phrases that tell us nothing new from either president. McFaul emphasizes that typically major summits produce concrete outcomes — binding agreements, policy shifts, security guarantees. This one has 'very, very thin' deliverables, and that thinness is by design: Trump appears satisfied with the appearance of a good relationship rather than demanding the hard negotiations that produce results. Another day of meetings remains, but McFaul's skepticism is earned: the summit feels like it's about making Trump look presidential rather than securing wins for American interests.

Takeaways

  • ✓Watch what Xi actually says, not what Trump says — reciprocal language matters in high-stakes diplomacy and Xi's silence is telling.
  • ✓Pageantry without substance won't move voter sentiment — Trump needs real wins on Iran or semiconductor deals, not just pleasant meetings.
  • ✓China will never give up Taiwan ambitions or stop arming Putin allies without coercive negotiation, not flattery.

Key moments

1:26Trump calls Xi friend multiple times

“President Xi, my friend, for this magnificent welcome. I'd now like to raise a glass and propose a toast to the rich and enduring ties between the American and Chinese people.”

3:38McFaul flags the asymmetry

“What's striking to me about the public remarks is just how effusive President Trump was in calling the chairman of the Communist Party of China, a dictator and autocrat, his friend. I never heard him call the President his friend. That asymmetry, I think, is striking. I think that's a position of weakness, frankly.”

4:35Xi warns on Taiwan without mincing words

“If it is not handled properly, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts. The U.S. side must exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question.”

9:45McFaul: summit is pageantry, not substance

“The words are all nice. Lots of nice exchanges and pleasantries, but the deliverables from this summit are very, very thin. I'd say there's no deliverables. This is about pageantry, not about substance of importance to the American people.”

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