Trump and Xi's Empty Summit Is Straight Out of the 1930s

If the volume and glitter of the pageantry were a good indicator, the relationship between the United States and China would seem to be in great shape. Alas, summitry without substance can also be a harbinger of great danger, as the history of the 1930s teaches. This week Donald Trump and Xi Jinping walked on red carpets, craned to watch flyovers, gave speeches at a state dinner and gifted pandas (China is sending another pair to the Atlanta zoo). But the two presidents didn't even attempt breakthroughs on the big issues that will decide matters of war and peace in the years to come.