When U.S. policymakers began planning Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington next month, they must have imagined that the Chinese president would be arriving, figuratively, in a gleaming aircraft carrier with his trademark “Chinese dream” banners flying. The challenge then was how to deal with a strong and supremely confident Beijing.
Now, the summit planners face a different test: After this month’s economic typhoon, Xi is piloting a shakier vessel — still sleek on the outside, but with some leaks and battered compartments. The question is how the United States can cooperate with this weaker and newly vulnerable China to restore economic growth and stability, without reinforcing Xi’s authoritarian political style.
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