Trump softens stance on China during visit to Beijing
What's the story
US President Donald Trump lavished praise on his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing. This was in sharp contrast to his criticisms of China over issues of North Korea and trade. Trump urged Xi to "work very hard" on coaxing Pyongyang to denuclearize. He said he did "not blame China" for "taking advantage" to gain a trade surplus against the US.
On North Korea
Trump urges Xi to "work hard" on North Korea
China is Pyongyang's main economic partner and regional ally. Trump said China could fix Pyongyang's nuclear programme "easily and quickly." "I am calling on [Xi] to work very hard. I know one thing about your president. If he works on it hard, it'll get done," he added Xi said he'd continue working to implement UN sanctions and bring "enduring peace" in the Korean peninsula.
Information
Trump previously said China was doing "NOTHING" on N. Korea
In July, Trump tweeted that China was doing "NOTHING for us with North Korea, just talk." Prior to his arrival in Beijing, Trump had urged China to end relations with North Korea. China has consistently maintained that it's doing everything possible on the North.
On trade
Trump: "I don't blame China" over trade deficit with US
"I don't blame China - after all, who can blame a country for taking advantage of another country for the benefit of its citizens... I give China great credit," Trump said about the trade deficit. He blamed previous US presidents for forging "a very unfair and one-sided" trade relationship with China. Xi has vowed to have "healthy" and "balanced" economic ties with America.
China responds
China vows to reduce market entry barriers
Previously, Trump had accused China of stealing US jobs and threatened to designate Beijing a currency manipulator. During Trump's visit to Beijing, China said it would reduce market entry barriers for the banking, insurance, and finance sectors. Bilateral deals worth $250 billion were also announced, which US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said were "pretty small" to tackle the trade imbalance.
Analysis
Trump-Xi "bromance" real or all theatrics? Time will tell
Trump said he has "incredibly warm" feelings for Xi. He has softened his stance towards China and lavished praise for Xi. Meanwhile, China has rolled out an unprecedented red carpet treatment for Trump during his visit. This indicates an unlikely budding "bromance" between the world's two most powerful men. What goes to be seen is whether these are theatrics that mask latent rivalries.