Chinese analysts say Trump should “understand pressure doesn’t work,” as he and Xi tackle thorny issues

September 24, 2026 / 9:12 AM EDT / CBS News

Hong Kong — It was 11 years ago that Chinese President Xi Jinping last visited the U.S. capital, for a 2015 White House meeting with then-President Barack Obama. As he returns for a meeting on Thursday with President Trump, both Xi and China's role in the world have changed dramatically.

China is now regarded as America's chief geopolitical rival, and Xi arrived back in Washington Wednesday night projecting confidence and authority.

"I think after all these years, Americans should understand pressure doesn't work," Dr. Zhao Hai, an expert in Sino-U.S. relations and vice president of the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong, told CBS News ahead of the leaders' summit in Washington. "It doesn't work on Xi. It doesn't work on China, and it doesn't work on the Chinese people."

When President Trump visited Beijing in May, he and Xi agreed to pursue what they called "constructive strategic stability" — political-speak indicating a commitment to improve the world's most important bilateral relationship despite deep mistrust, suspicion and intense competition.

Four months later, Chinese analysts see little reason to hope for any major breakthroughs, and they say the bilateral relationship, far from…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/