A revival of the Xi-Trump ‘bromance’ could keep China-US relations from getting too frosty

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Xi Jinping and Donald Trump’s bromance could be rekindled in 2025, if both sides play their cards right. This is positive and would help create the right environment for an improvement in ties between the two superpowers, but timing and tone are everything.

The rivals will need to give and take to prevent the relationship from getting worse. There are potential signs of a rapprochement. It was a smart move by the US president-elect to invite Xi to his inauguration in January (the Chinese leader reportedly turned it down), but future attempts need to be more than just empty gestures to make a real difference.

A face-to-face meeting soon is essential to set the tone of the bilateral relationship over the next four years. The alternative is continued misunderstanding, which in the worst-case scenario, could lead to actual conflict. During Trump’s first term, he talked up his warm ties with Xi, going so far as to say the two leaders “love each other." Still, that didn’t stop the then-US president from imposing harsh trade tariffs on Beijing, the start of a big shift in US-China relations that solidified under the Biden administration.

Next year looks set to be another challenging one for Xi. China faces a continued loss of investor confidence, a deepening real estate crisis, ballooning local government debt, a volatile stock market, deflationary pressures and increasing popular discontent. Improving relations with the US could go a long way toward lifting sentiment at home.

To do that, Xi will have to find some common ground with Trump. It won’t be easy. During his campaign, Trump floated revoking Beijing’s most-favoured-nation status.