From body language to ping-pong, decoding the symbolism during Xi and Trump’s meeting

We have put together stories from our coverage of the Xi-Trump summit. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner leans on historic symbolismPresident Donald Trump and first ladies Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan listen as China’s President Xi Jinping speaks during a State Dinner in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo: APWhen US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room, every detail of the state dinner was steeped in symbolism, with sparkling wine served as a nod to a pivotal moment in Sino-US relations and references to “ping-pong diplomacy”.2. How China’s wartime cooperatives gave us ‘gung-ho’Not only has gung-ho – derived from the Chinese gong he – entered the English dictionary, but it also features in the names of several awards associated with the US Marine Corps. Photo: The Boston Globe via Getty ImagesChinese viewers watching Trump welcome Xi to the White House on Thursday may have been puzzled by the US president’s reference to the “Chinese phrase” gung-ho. Turning to Baidu – or increasingly, Doubao, the country’s most popular AI chatbot – they may well have asked: what Chinese expression is he referring to?3. Pat on the back? Xi and Trump’s body language speaks volumesUS President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold bilateral talks in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AFPArm touches, laughs, and firm handshakes were on display as Xi and Trump began their high-stakes summit in Washington, which has so far featured a rare airport welcome, military pageantry and closed-door bilateral talks.4. From ping-pong to pickleball: China’s unofficial approach to diplomatic messagingJack Lund Schofield Middle School’s Principal Terri Knepp (left), Yang Wanming (third left), president of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Flying Tigers veteran Harry Moyer (second right) and Zhang Jianmin, Chinese consul general in San Francisco (right), visit the school in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2024. Photo: XinhuaBefore setting off for Washington on Wednesday, Xi had some correspondence to attend to. Dozens of students from 10 US universities, including Harvard, had written to him about their experiences on an exchange trip to China this year. According to the State Council, Xi responded with a call to the students to advance cooperation between the two countries.5. Summits for all diplomatic seasons: how the US has set the stage for Xi JinpingChinese President Xi Jinping (left) and then US president Barack Obama chat as they take a walk at the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, on June 8, 2013. Photo: AFPXi’s visit to the US was his first to the country since 2023 and his eighth face-to-face meeting with Trump. From informal walk-and-talks to a state dinner, Xi’s meetings across four American administrations show how personal rapport and official diplomacy reflect the growing complexity of US-China relations.6. What Trump and Xi revealed in the body language with their wivesAs Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their three-day state visit on Friday, a stark contrast in the two presidential couples’ hand-holding dynamics was on display, body language experts said.7. How Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a parallel track in US-China diplomacyUS first lady Melania Trump and her Chinese counterpart Peng Liyuan share a laugh as they visit the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, in Washington on September 24. Photo: AFPFirst ladies Peng Liyuan and Melania Trump opened a new front in US-China exchanges last week, with their unusually frequent and spontaneous interactions putting a more personal face on ties during the presidential summit in Washington.Further Reading