The main question isn’t whether the summit resolved the China-US rivalry but if it created common ground for addressing disputes
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenNong HongNong Hong, PhD, is executive director and senior fellow at the Institute for China-America Studies in Washington, US, and a senior fellow with the Beijing Club for International Dialogue. Published: 8:30pm, 17 May 2026One formulation emerging from the summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Beijing merits particular attention: the reference in China’s official readout to a “constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability” that should guide ties “over the next three years and beyond”.The wording is noteworthy, and not simply because it points to an effort to stabilise a difficult relationship in the short term. It suggests a broader attempt to place the management of that relationship within a more explicit political framework.The reference to “the next three years and beyond” is especially notable in this respect as it broadly corresponds to the remainder of the current US presidential term while also indicating an interest in framing the relationship in terms that extend beyond the immediate summit cycle.
Its significance lies not in any denial of competition, but in the effort to place competition within a more explicit set of political limits and strategic expectations.
