Presidents Trump and Xi met in Beijing this week, the first in a series of bilateral dialogues as Trump shifts from 2025’s accelerated decoupling strategy to 2026’s constructive engagement. The vibe was positive & constructive, if not specific. While many question the apparent lack of concrete outcomes, we believe the meeting was the message. As noted in The China Theory of Everything, decoupling remains the long-term objective. But right now Trump wants Xi’s help