A purposeful summit?

Bare frills: Behind the pomp and parade, the talks between Xi and Trump seem meagre. — AP

SINCE no timely summit of major world leaders has ever been held with less than solemn intent, the Trump-Xi summit at a crucial time for them in mid-May could not have been merely symbolic.

Superficially, the apparent lack of actionable policy suggested the meeting’s absence of substance. Some observers had jumped to that conclusion even before the summit.