Before his trip to China, Donald Trump faced outsized expectations – largely nurtured by himself.
But the reality of a complex and challenging relationship caught up with him.
And that includes the fact that China has the upper hand right now.
From a US perspective, the immediate outcome of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping was meagre: no grand breakthrough, but a mere stabilization of relations and a broad effort to prevent the superpower rivalry from spiralling further out of control.
“You don't get the sense that much has been accomplished,” said Helmut Brandstätter, a liberal Member of the European Parliament from Austria who is well connected with Chinese diplomats.
