Chinese President Xi Jinping held a welcome banquet last Thursday night (May 14) for US President Trump, who was on a three-day state visit to China. Wu Xinbo, Dean of the Institute of International Studies and Director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, who was invited to the state banquet, commented that the atmosphere at the banquet was relaxed and friendly, something that the China-US relationship had not experienced for many years.
Wu Xinbo has long taught at Fudan University, primarily focusing on teaching and research in Chinese foreign and security policy, China-US relations, and Asia-Pacific regional politics and security issues. In an exclusive interview published by The Beijing News on Saturday (the 16th), he talked about the details of the welcome banquet during Trump’s visit to China.
Wu Xinbo described the state banquet as relaxed and friendly. He said: "To be honest, in China-US relations, I haven’t experienced an atmosphere like this for many years. The last time I attended a similar event was in June 2016, during the final round of the China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue under Obama’s administration, which was also held at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse."
Wu Xinbo pointed out that this year marks the second year of Trump’s second term, and the US and China had gone through ups and downs over the past nine years. At this banquet, the two leaders highly praised the relationship between the countries, including their personal relationship. Chinese and American guests were intermingled at the tables, leading to much interaction between the two sides.
At the state banquet, seated to Wu Xinbo’s left was John Hiller, White House Deputy Assistant to the President, and to his right was Bret Baier, Fox News’ Chief Political Anchor.
Wu Xinbo said: "We talked about a lot of issues together. Overall, the atmosphere at the venue felt quite relaxed and pleasant, and everyone communicated very naturally. In my opinion, this was a rare scene in recent years."
Wu Xinbo continued: "They were quite surprised to meet a university professor at such an occasion. In their impression, such banquets were usually attended by government officials and entrepreneurs. After hearing that I was from Shanghai, Fox News anchor Baier said Shanghai is a great place. His mother told him he must visit Shanghai, describing it as an amazing city."
Wu Xinbo then asked Baier how the American media would report on this meeting. "He mentioned three keywords: strength, stability and cooperation, and friendship, especially the personal friendship between President Xi Jinping and President Trump, which would be the main focus of their reports."
Upon learning about Wu Xinbo’s understanding of the US, Hiller said his daughter works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the US and hosts a podcast that could invite Wu Xinbo to participate.
Wu Xinbo revealed: "We also talked about the US midterm elections, and shared views on how President Trump’s visit to China and interactions with the Chinese side were perceived. From cuisine and US domestic politics to China-US relations, we discussed a lot. Americans are outgoing and enjoy communicating. When Chinese and Americans sit together, it’s actually quite easy to get along."
Wu Xinbo also noticed a detail at the event: among the evening’s musical selections, in addition to classic Chinese and American pieces like ‘Yulin Folk Song’, ‘China in the Lights’, ‘As Wished’, and ‘Edelweiss’, the finale on the program was the US song ‘Y.M.C.A.’, which many Chinese netizens are also familiar with and has been dubbed ‘Trump’s campaign anthem’.
He said: "When this music started, the Americans got very excited and happy, instantly picking up their phones to take pictures of the band and mimicking Trump’s signature moves. After Trump’s speech, the US corporate representatives all stood up and applauded, which hadn’t happened before. This also reflects changes in American political culture."