Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at long-anticipated U.S.-China talks, Israel’s and the Palestinian Authority’s U.N. speeches, and the risk of all-out war in Ethiopia.

Lots of Pomp, Little Progress

It’s been more than a decade since Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States, and in that time, geopolitical tensions between the superpowers have only heightened. Artificial intelligence, critical minerals, human rights, tariffs, and Taiwan were just a few of the items on U.S. President Donald Trump’s agenda as he welcomed Xi to the White House on Thursday.

Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at long-anticipated U.S.-China talks, Israel’s and the Palestinian Authority’s U.N. speeches, and the risk of all-out war in Ethiopia.

Lots of Pomp, Little Progress

It’s been more than a decade since Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the United States, and in that time, geopolitical tensions between the superpowers have only heightened. Artificial intelligence, critical minerals, human rights, tariffs, and Taiwan were just a few of the items on U.S. President Donald Trump’s agenda as he welcomed Xi to the White House on Thursday.

But a day that began with much pomp and pageantry suffered from little substance and concluded with few major breakthroughs—that is, unless you count Xi’s announcement that two giant pandas will be sent to the Atlanta Zoo.

Thursday’s high-level summit was in the works for months, though the White House’s preparation was “unsurprisingly chaotic and incompetent,” FP’s James Palmer wrote this week. Still, in a sign of goodwill, both leaders issued statements on Thursday appealing to the need for closer cooperation.

“Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” Xi told reporters, with Trump similarly hailing his “truly great friendship” with Xi and even greeting the Chinese leader on the tarmac rather than at the White House.

That is where the leaders’ shared interests appeared to end. At time of writing, Trump and Xi have not announced any comprehensive deals addressing tariff concerns, rare-earths competition, or soybean........

© Foreign Policy