The diplomatic relationship between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping was defined by a series of face-to-face summits, most notably at Mar-a-Lago in 2017 and the G20 summits in Hamburg and Buenos Aires. These meetings were primarily focused on addressing the growing trade imbalance between the United States and China, with the Trump administration pushing for structural changes to Chinese economic policies, including intellectual property protections and market access.

At the 2017 Mar-a-Lago summit, the two leaders established a framework for dialogue, which initially signaled a period of relative stability. However, as the administration progressed, the tone shifted toward a more confrontational approach. By the 2018 G20 summit in Argentina, the focus had transitioned to a temporary truce in the escalating trade war, with both sides agreeing to pause the imposition of new tariffs to allow for further negotiations.

Sources generally agree that the meetings were instrumental in setting the trajectory for U.S.-China relations for the remainder of the decade. While the Trump administration framed these discussions as a necessary pushback against unfair trade practices, Chinese state media and various international observers often characterized the U.S. approach as protectionist and destabilizing to the global economy. The meetings also frequently touched upon the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, though outcomes on this front remained limited. Ultimately, the summits highlighted the deep-seated structural disagreements between the two nations, which continued to influence international policy long after the meetings concluded.