Xi’s art of the win

Trump and Xi exiting after their meeting in Busan, South Korea. When Xi walked out of the meeting, he projected the confidence of a powerful leader who could make Washington blink. (Below) Xi stayed firm during negotiations. — Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

WHEN Chinese President Xi Jinping walked out of his meeting with US President Donald Trump late last month, he carried the air of a leader who had made Washington blink. The outcome ­suggested he had.

By flexing China’s near monopoly on rare earths and its purchasing power over US soybeans, Xi won key concessions: a reduction in tariffs, a suspension of port fees on Chinese ships and a delay of US export controls that would have barred more Chinese firms from accessing American technology.