Pat on the back? Xi and Trump’s body language speaks volumes

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump opened their high-stakes Washington summit with a sequence of carefully watched public gestures, from a rare airport welcome to firm handshakes, arm touches, laughs and formal exchanges.

Airport greeting drew attention

The first interaction came at Joint Base Andrews, where Trump and first lady Melania Trump met Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the bottom of the aircraft steps.

Patti Wood, a body language expert who reviewed the interactions, said that gesture showed respect for the Chinese leader.

“You know, the president doesn’t always come to the tarmac to do that. To me, again, that’s symbolic,” Wood said.

Wood also noted that Xi looked very comfortable at the end of the airport greeting.

Gestures under scrutiny

The summit has so far included the rare airport welcome, military pageantry and closed-door bilateral talks.

While the outcomes of the discussions are being closely watched, the exchanges between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies are also drawing attention.

Wood said Trump’s gestures appeared to assert dominance, while Xi remained formal but comfortable.

The visible choreography included arm touches, laughs and firm handshakes as the two leaders began their meetings in Washington.

The public moments also featured bows, according to the account of the interactions reviewed as the leaders met in Washington.

Why the body language matters

The attention on gesture comes alongside scrutiny of the substance of the talks between the leaders of the United States and China.

The meeting brings together the heads of the world’s two largest economies, making both the discussions and the public signals around them significant to observers.

In Wood’s reading, Trump’s physical cues projected dominance, while Xi’s manner suggested formality without discomfort.

The contrast between those styles became part of the summit’s visible narrative as the two leaders moved from the airport welcome into the broader programme of pageantry and bilateral talks.

Source: South China Morning Post