They shook hands. They took a long walk. One man touched the other’s arm, then he did it again. They later shook hands some more.
For two leaders at odds on many fronts — Taiwan, trade, rare earth resources, among others — Thursday’s meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, suggested they wanted the rivalry to be more friendly than not.
The body language stood in stark contrast to Mr. Trump’s harsh criticism of China at home, and to many of his meetings with longtime U.S. allies. The scene was far from tense or combative, as it was when Mr. Trump hosted Ukraine’s president in the Oval Office. Gone was the gruff distance that Mr. Trump kept from Germany’s former chancellor or NATO leaders.
Nor did it include one of Mr. Trump’s inscrutable handshakes, as when he kept Japan’s prime minister in his vise for 19 very long seconds.
Instead, experts said, the body language suggested Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi were each striking a conciliatory pose, each in their own style and reflecting their countries’ complicated relationship. Since the Trump administration’s aggressive trade moves against China last year, and Beijing’s countermeasures, the two countries have adopted a tentative truce.
