India, May 17 -- Trump has projected the meet as a huge success. But it achieved nothing. His statements seemed to be made more to boost his own falling ratings before the midterm elections in November, than anything else.

Trump announced his upcoming trip to Beijing with a gush on Truth Social, "Xi will greet me with a big fat hug." Chinese formality did not provide him a hug, though he received a warm welcome complete with a military parade, cheering school children and a visit to a forbidden garden. But it was part of a carefully choreographed spectacle designed to demonstrate not just equality between the two powers, but dominance.

Trump's visit to Beijing is the first by a US president in almost a decade. The last was his own trip ...