Showdowns and spycraft on Trump-Xi summit sidelines
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
While Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were hailing their friendship for the cameras, it was less amicable for the rival Chinese and US security services. From a standoff over a US Secret Service agent’s weapon to a US staffer trampled during a melee, tensions bubbled to the surface throughout Trump’s visit to Beijing. The mutual distrust was underscored when US officials made the staffers and media, including an AFP reporter, board Air Force One, hand over all badges and pins given to them by the Chinese side. Surveillance cameras are seen near a portrait of former Chairman Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City on May 15, 2026, in Beijing, China. — AFP Along with “burner” phones from the US delegation, the confiscated items were tossed in a trash can at the bottom of the stairs of the presidential jet. For all Xi’s warm words about being “partners not rivals,” this was always a summit between two superpowers with a long history of suspicion. As they vie for supremacy without tipping over into conflict, both sides are taking their espionage and counterintelligence efforts to new heights. The result in Beijing verged at times towards collective paranoia. US officials and journalists travelling to China to cover the summit were advised to use phones and laptops that could be wiped or disposed of back home to preserve cybersecurity. The frictions also played out on the ground in Beijing as US and Chinese officials appeared to be having their own shadow superpower battle. ‘Don’t run over anybody’ Two incidents made headlines, including when Chinese officials blocked US officials and journalists in a room during Trump and Xi’s visit to the Temple of Heaven. “We’re in the motorcade with the president. Do you not understand that?” said one journalist, in scenes witnessed by an AFP reporter. Air Force One, carrying US President Donald Trump, takes off from Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on May 15, 2026. — AFP A Chinese official replied, “The security of our si