They shook hands. They took a long walk. One man touched the other\u2019s arm, then he did it again. They later shook hands some more.<\/p>\n
For two leaders at odds on many fronts \u2014 Taiwan, trade, rare earth resources, among others \u2014 Thursday\u2019s meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China\u2019s leader, suggested they wanted the rivalry to be more friendly than not.<\/p>\n
The body language stood in stark contrast to Mr. Trump\u2019s harsh criticism of China at home, and to many of his meetings with longtime U.S. allies. The scene was far from tense or combative, as it was when Mr. Trump hosted Ukraine\u2019s president<\/a> in the Oval Office. Gone was the gruff distance<\/a> that Mr. Trump kept from Germany\u2019s former chancellor or NATO leaders.<\/p>\n Nor did it include one of Mr. Trump\u2019s inscrutable handshakes<\/a>, as when he kept Japan\u2019s prime minister in his vise<\/a> for 19 very long seconds.<\/p>\n Instead, experts said, the body language suggested Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi were each striking a conciliatory pose, each in their own style and reflecting their countries\u2019 complicated relationship<\/a>. Since the Trump administration\u2019s aggressive trade moves against China last year, and Beijing\u2019s countermeasures, the two countries have adopted a tentative truce.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the statements in the run-up to the summit, Trump gives off a bit of a thirsty vibe toward Xi Jinping that he\u2019s really keen to make friends,\u201d said Melanie Hart, the senior director of the Atlantic Council\u2019s Global China Hub. \u201cHis words indicated that he is hoping that Xi will like him as a person, and that they will develop some kind of rapport that will lead to special treatment and deals. And you see that same thing in their body language as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Walking toward a longer truce<\/p>\n From the moment that Mr. Trump met Mr. Xi on Thursday, the interaction was warmer and more relaxed than past meetings. They smiled, chatted and stayed close physically, walking down a long red carpet together around the Temple of Heaven, the Ming dynasty complex not far from the Forbidden City.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was noteworthy that Xi appeared not to let Trump do the \u2018power pull\u2019 move, whereby Trump pulls the foreign leader\u2019s hand closer to Trump,\u201d said Lyle Morris, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute.<\/p>\n He added that \u201cTrump gave Xi a few warm \u2018taps\u2019 of Xi\u2019s hand with his left hand, a signal that Trump showed extra friendliness.\u201d<\/p>\n Each leader shook hands with other officials, too. Present on the American side were a group of business executives whom Mr. Trump said<\/a> he had brought to show \u201crespect\u201d for China while seeking market access. Mr. Xi did not bring an equivalent group.<\/p>\n A contrast in styles<\/p>\n As Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi progressed through their walk, accompanied by a military band, a group of children stood waiting with flowers and U.S. and Chinese flags. Once the leaders got close enough, the children began hopping up and down, waving the flowers and flags and cheering.<\/p>\n Mr. Trump smiled and clapped for the children, while Mr. Xi gave a few short waves.<\/p>\n That too, reflected each leader\u2019s contrasting style, experts said. While Mr. Trump looked around, smiling and gesturing at his surroundings, Mr. Xi stayed more stoic, sometimes looking directly at cameras that hovered nearby.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump\u2019s more casual, showmanship style was on full display, whereas Xi\u2019s body language and remarks were a bit more scripted and reserved, which is Xi\u2019s style,\u201d Mr. Morris said. (The children returned to silence in orderly rows after the leaders passed.)<\/p>\n On reaching the end of their long walk, Mr. Trump paused before a grand staircase to chat some more, touching Mr. Xi\u2019s arm twice before they ascended. <\/p>\n When they met last year in South Korea, the leaders shook hands tensely, with Mr. Trump talking and Mr. Xi staying largely quiet. Ahead of that meeting, the United States and China were in the depths of a trade standoff, and just minutes before he arrived in South Korea, Mr. Trump had announced<\/a> he would restart nuclear weapons testing.<\/p>\n In contrast to that stiff scene, on Thursday Mr. Trump called Mr. Xi \u201ca great leader\u201d and warmly spoke about how the United States and China had \u201cworked it out\u201d whenever they had \u201cdifficulties.\u201d During a toast at a televised state banquet, Mr. Trump promised \u201ca fantastic future together.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cIt\u2019s an honor to be with you, it\u2019s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the U.S.A. is going to be better than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n