We have had a year of confrontations under Donald Trump–the humiliation of the President of Ukraine in the Oval Office, the put-down of the Prime Minister of Canada, threats against our ally Denmark to take over Greenland…I could go on.

Thus, it was with a sigh of relief that we watched the unfolding of the President’s recent visit to China. The White House played down having any great expectations about issues like access to rare earth metals, tariff relief, the status of Taiwan, and even of the Iran War–and there were no major breakthroughs announced on these matters.

Yet, there must have been some concession regarding tariffs because the Chinese have announced that they will again start buying some American meat products and soybeans–which was good news for our farmers in the Midwest.

I also thought that there was some comfort in the fact that President Trump essentially made the trip into a love fest with President Xi of China. The last thing that we need right now is more conflict with China.

One business reporter wrote that the meeting “was full of friendly overtures, closely orchestrated pageantry, business dealmaking, and headline-grabbing side shows that captivated audiences on both sides of the Pacific.”

The Chinese know how to put on a show, and they did. Visits to the Temple of Heaven, the Great Hall of the People, and a private garden tour usually only seen by the top brass in the Communist Party…all of that was a part of the show.

At a lavish banquet, the two Presidents toasted each other, and “Trump called Xi “my friend” and said, “we are going to have a fantastic future together.”

Though few new business deals were announced, the President did make a strong statement about the importance of business interests between the two countries by bringing a bevy of American corporate executives with him including his old pal, billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk came without his chainsaw, and a video, showing him “spinning in a circle while recording on his phone a group photo” of American CEO’s, went viral and the primary social media platform in China recorded 52 million views of it. There are a lot of people in China (about 1.4 billion) and many were watching what was going on.

President Xi and his wife have been invited to come to the United States in September, and I am sure–as it should be–the red carpet at the White House will be rolled out for them. The Chinese economy is now second only to that of the United States in the world.

What we must hope from all of this is that slowly, behind the scenes, some of our current problems can be resolved–especially, the ending of the war in Iran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

As the largest purchaser of Iranian oil, China is in a position to quietly urge an ending to the conflict in a way where both sides can somehow claim victory and bring the war to an end.

If this can happen, then the President’s trip to China will have succeeded in at least one respect–the big hole that he has dug for himself in the Persian Gulf will get resolved, and the economic damage being felt around the world from high oil prices will recede.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.