The first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, went well. There were no obvious gaffes, no discernible moments of tension and no apparent conflicts between the two leaders. Given the expectations that surrounded the meeting, that is a positive outcome. Unfortunately, however, there were also no real deliverables from the summit. So, to the extent that the two men established a positive working relationship, the meeting should be judged a success. That alone says a great deal about the new normal for U.S. foreign policy.

Going into last week's meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's "Winter White House" in Palm Beach, Florida, the U.S. president had warned that talks would be difficult. Given his statements about China as a candidate, in particular comments about how it had "raped" the United States in economic relations, there were fears that tough talk would poison bilateral relations and could trigger a trade war if actions followed. The belief in Washington that China could do more to influence North Korea also threatened to undermine the two countries' attempts to tackle shared global concerns.

Yet, when the meeting concluded, the worst outcomes were avoided. Officials from both countries characterized the meetings as positive, with Trump calling the two-day summit "tremendous," and noting that "goodwill and friendship was formed." China's Xinhua news agency reported that the two leaders "held extensive, friendly and long talks," with both sides praising gains in bilateral relations and agreeing to further relations to benefit the two peoples. The Chinese press devoted considerable attention to Trump's acceptance of an invitation to visit China in the future.