Although many difficult issues separate presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the leaders of the world's two biggest economies found great chemistry with each other when they met in Beijing last week and avoided any public finger-pointing over trade or North Korea. Was it all too good to be true?
Both Xi and Trump doubtless wanted to make the state visit a success. Having consolidated his personal power at the 19th Communist Party Congress just last month, Xi was eager to assert that China deserves a place on the world stage worthy of respect as a big power. China's relationship with the U.S. is its most consequential but also its most difficult to manage, particularly now given Trump's unpredictability.
