Busan, South Korea, Nov. 1 -- Under global gaze and before flashing cameras, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, shook hands here on Oct. 30 for a highly anticipated meeting, the first since Trump was sworn in as US president again earlier this year.

Later, as their 100-minute meeting drew to an end in South Korea's second-largest city, Xi and Trump walked side by side toward the venue's exit. They clasped hands in farewell.

The two presidents met amid mounting global economic challenges and protectionist trends. Many global observers viewed this high-stakes meeting as a crucial opportunity to steady what many describe as the world's most important bilateral relationship and reinvigorate confidence in the ...