China's state media calls summit 'historic,' urges US to back words with action

Chinese state media called the summit agreement between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping a "historic achievement" and said the United States must translate its promises into action. State outlets particularly emphasized that the two countries had agreed to build a relationship grounded in respect, fairness and reciprocity.

The state-run Global Times and its Chinese-language sister publication Huanqiu Shibao published a joint editorial Monday under the headline "Eight summit agreements between China and the US send a major signal," saying the two powers had sent "a positive signal that they are moving in the same direction, pursuing peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation."

The eight agreements refer to a fact-sheet-style statement China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released Saturday. The items cover: building a constructive strategic stability relationship between China and the United States based on respect, fairness and reciprocity; mutual support for each other's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the G20 leaders' meeting; an agreement on Iran's nuclear program and international waterway issues; an agreement on the US-China alliance during World War II; the elimination of $30 billion in tariffs; cooperation on drug enforcement including fentanyl; the establishment of a new US-China AI dialogue; and the loan of an additional pair of pandas to Zoo Atlanta.

The editorial singled out the agreement to build a "constructive strategic stability relationship based on respect, fairness and equality" as the summit's foremost political achievement. It went on to explain that "respect" means honoring the other country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, social system and development path, and core interests and major concerns, while "fairness" means neither side seeks absolute advantage over the other. On "equality," the editorial said it means "the two countries' sovereignty is equal, neither acts coercively, and each treats the other's concerns with equal weight."

The editorial cited the agreement to mutually reduce tariffs by $30 billion and the joint effort to combat drug trafficking as proof that "China and the United States can accomplish a series of major things through cooperation." The two leaders' mutual pledges to support each other's hosting of the APEC and G20 summits were interpreted as a demonstration of their will to strengthen cooperation within multilateral mechanisms and jointly promote stability and development. This year's APEC summit is to be held in Shenzhen, China, where Trump is expected to attend and hold a follow-up meeting with Xi. Xi is set to attend the G20 summit in Florida, where he will meet Trump. The two leaders will have held four meetings this year alone.

The editorial cautioned, however, that the leaders' agreements must translate into real action, and urged the US side to follow through. "Agreements must be backed by concrete action," the Global Times said. "Whether the United States will turn its commitments into real action on key issues such as tariffs, technology controls and the Taiwan question remains to be seen."

The editorial added that "ministries, sectors and agencies at all levels in both countries must faithfully implement the agreements reached between the two leaders" and work to make a reality of the vision of "prioritizing cooperation, restraining competition, managing differences and keeping peace within reach."

While the editorial included the Taiwan question among the areas where it urged the US to follow through, Trump told reporters after the summit that he had given Xi no answer on Taiwan. US Ambassador to China David Perdue said in a Fox News interview that day that Washington's position on Taiwan had not changed, adding, "We do not support Taiwan independence, and we do not support Chinese coercion."