Why China brings out a toned down Trump

New Delhi,UPDATED: May 14, 2026 19:00 IST

"If Trump is so unpredictable, why doesn't he behave eccentrically in China?" asked a colleague on the news floor, not taking her eyes off the TV. Visuals of the Donald Trump-Xi Jinping meet was being telecast. US President Donald Trump, on his China visit, has been in his best behaviour, never veering off the script. The question is valid, and this has to do with the balance of power and how China holds the key to what Trump wants.

Most of Trump's aggression has come when he meets foreign leaders in the US. Be it berating Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy in front of the press or summoning Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif mid-speech, Trump finds his turf to the best to run over leaders. That's what bullies generally do.

But that's not to say that Trump is always best-behaved when he is abroad. In 2017, at the Nato headquarters in Brussels, Trump pushed past Montenegero Prime Minister Dusko Markovic to come to the front. During a 2018 UK visit, Trump walked ahead of Elizabeth II during an inspection. Then there were his aggressive, prolonged handshakes with numerous leaders.

But in China, Trump's posture has changed. Is it respect for an equal or fear of another power? Beijing's English mouthpiece, The China Daily, on Thursday published an editorial titled: 'China ready to work with the US in spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit'. Beijing considers DC on par, and Trump knows that.

"Trump's tone just changed—and people are starting to notice. When he speaks about Xi, it's different.

Less aggressive. More measured. Almost restrained," wrote commentator Chris Wick.

"That shift is raising questions. Because Trump is known for applying pressure, not pulling back.

So when the tone softens, it suggests something deeper may be at play. Respect, maybe fear? You tell me," wrote Wick on X.

Trump landed in Beijing with at least a dozen CEOs of top American companies, mostly tech giants. Tesla boss Elon Musk and Apple's Tim Cook were among them, as was Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.

At the heart of Trump's visit is the tense trade relationship with China. The US wants China to open up its economy to American tech majors.

China today leads the world in trade, exports, energy consumption, rare earth minerals, and electric vehicles, while the US continues to dominate military spending, advanced AI ecosystems, semiconductors, and global finance. With its huge market, China has an upper hand.

The other big factor is Iran. China has quietly backed Iran, and despite American airstrikes, Trump has failed to make Tehran relent. Iran, China's biggest power chip in the Middle East, remains intact. Xi Jinping has agreed to the US's stance that the Strait of Hormuz "must remain open". This highlights that, for the US, getting Beijing's support on the Iran war was a high-priority agenda during the visit.

"Trump's visit comes on terms that favour China," wrote strategic expert Brahma Chellaney on X.

"The likely outcome is a managed detente — a cooling of rhetoric and a symbolic reset. Trump will present it as deal-making prowess; Xi as proof of China's rise. Both will claim success. The question is not whether Trump can strike a deal, but what he will give up to get one," wrote Chellaney.

Trump and Xi raised a toast to the ties.

"I'd like to raise a glass to the rich and enduring ties between the American and Chinese people. It's a very special relationship," said Trump.

This comes from a man who started a trade war with China, hitting it with tariffs, but chickened out as Beijing hit the US with reciprocal tariffs.

In Trump's toned-down demeanour in Beijing is the rise of a country that doesn't just think it is equal, but projects power and hits back. Trump knows his aggressive handshake won't work with Xi.

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