On the tarmac of a Washington airport, two of the world's most consequential leaders met under the weight of ceremony and mutual necessity, as President Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping with the full choreography of state protocol. Within hours, the two nations announced an extension of their trade truce — a pause in the tariff conflict that has long strained supply chains, raised prices, and unsettled markets on both sides of the Pacific. The gesture signals that even amid deep structural rivalries over technology, trade, and global influence, both powers retain a shared interest i