New Delhi, Sept. 25 -- WASHINGTON - A B-2 stealth bomber flew low over the White House grounds Thursday morning, timed to greet a Chinese president who had not set foot in the United States in more than a decade. By nightfall the same grounds held a red carpet, a three-course state dinner built around what the White House called a "subtle Chinese influence," and two leaders trading warm toasts in the East Room. What the day did not produce, by nearly every account of the three hours of formal talks that preceded it, was much of anything the two governments had not already settled by phone.

President Trump and President Xi Jinping struck noticeably different tones in their public remarks. Trump spoke of a "truly great friendship" between ...