Lorenzo Maria Pacini
The summit has stabilized Sino-American relations without stabilizing the Gulf - and regarding the Gulf, Beijing has offered words, not leverage.
Agreements at no cost
Xi Jinping left Washington on Friday, September 25, bid farewell by a 21-gun salute and the administration's top officials lined up at the airport. A three-day state visit organized with a level of attention to detail that the White House rarely reserves for a systemic rival: the welcome at the foot of the aircraft stairs, a three-hour meeting in the Oval Office, the state dinner, tea with the spouses, and a visit to the National Archives.