Takeaways from the Trump-Xi state visit: Pageantry and pandas

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) speak via an interpreter as they depart following a tour of the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Win McNamee/Getty Images President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Xi Jinping this week for the first state visit that the Chinese leader has made since 2015. The visit comes at an important time for both men. For Trump, the state visit comes about six weeks before the midterm elections. Xi has an important calendar ahead as well, with a key Communist Party meeting scheduled for next month that should set up a widely expected announcement next fall that Xi will rule for another five-year term. But there were a few commitments that came out of the meetings in Washington this week and more emphasis put on pageantry. Expectations were low for major takeaways The U.S. says the two countries will extend by two months a trade truce that lets the U.S. access rare earth elements from China, and for China to access some advanced American semiconductor chips. But the two delegations did not announce crucial details about two still-unformed boards of trade and ...