The Dragon and the Deal

Trump lands in Beijing as the Iran ceasefire disintegrates, the Strait stays shut, and the world watches two men decide what the next war looks like.

BEIJING: THE EMPEROR RECEIVES

Air Force One touched down at Beijing Capital International Airport at 7:50 p.m. local time Wednesday. Three hundred Chinese children in blue and white uniforms lined the tarmac waving American and Chinese flags. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Xi Jinping’s designated receiver for diplomatic ceremonies, waited at the bottom of the stairs. The red carpet was out. The pageantry was precise. Nine years had passed since a sitting American president last walked onto Chinese soil, and the two countries had spent most of those years in escalating trade war, technology embargo, and strategic antagonism. None of that was visible on the tarmac.