Domestic turmoil and media feud eclipse Trump's red-carpet welcome for Xi

A high-profile summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, framed by Beijing as a moment of diplomatic parity and stabilisation, was largely buried in the United States beneath a torrent of domestic political turbulence and Trump's escalating feud with American television networks.

Trump extended full ceremonial honours to Xi on his first state visit to the United States in more than a decade, with the president and Melania Trump receiving the Chinese leader with elaborate formality. Beijing had invested considerable expectation in the occasion, hoping it would project an image of China as an equal partner on the world stage.

Yet the carefully choreographed diplomacy struggled to break through in the American news cycle, where midterm election pressures and the president's ongoing confrontations with the media commanded far greater attention.

Beyond the optics, the summit also exposed a deeper strategic tension, with Washington seeking alignment from other nations while Beijing continued to offer partners flexibility and engagement free of military conditions.