by Itunuoluwa Adebo

President Trump has hailed the start of “a very, very great relationship” with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, after months of Twitter attacks and tension ended in a steak dinner at the Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

When Xi came to the US two years ago, Trump attacked Barack Obama’s red-carpet welcome, claiming he would have offered him a big Mac instead of a state dinner to a leader whose country he has accused of “raping” the American economy.

“It is a great honor to have the president of China and his incredibly talented wife – a great, great celebrity in China and a great singer in the United States,” Trump told his guests.

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“We’ve had a long discussion already and so far I have gotten nothing, absolutely nothing,” he joked. “But we have developed a friendship, I can see that and I think in the long term we’re going to have a very, very great relationship and I look very much forward to it.”

Before the summit, trade disputes and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs were tipped to top the list of discussions between Trump and Xi, who returns to China on Friday afternoon. As the dinner came to an end and the two leaders retire from the evening, Trump ordered cruise missile strikes in response to the deadly chemical attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun.

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China, which alongside Russia has repeatedly opposed UN resolutions against Assad, did not immediately respond to Trump’s move. It somewhat weakens the image of Xi as a strong statesman on the world stage. It will distract from coverage of the summit in US media. More importantly, I think it says a lot about the US power and preeminent leadership role. It’s hard to imagine any other country in the world making that kind of unilateral strike – certainly not China.

Itunuoluwa