Donald Trump has travelled to China for a series of meetings with President Xi Jinping and according to body language expert Judi James, the US President is keen to be seen as a 'powerful heavyweight' and statesmanlike presence.
Donald Trump has dialled back his typically 'animated' manner during his visit to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a 'desire to be seen as a powerful heavyweight', an expert has claimed.
The US President has journeyed to Beijing for a succession of discussions with Xi, with the duo convening at a keenly awaited summit today. Upon Trump's arrival in China, he received an extravagant welcome featuring thundering cannons, impressive renditions of the Chinese and American national anthems, and schoolchildren leaping while waving flowers and flags at the presidents.
Body language specialist Judi James reckons Trump is exploiting the trip to demonstrate he can be 'seen as a powerful heavyweight and statesmanlike presence' - abandoning some of his characteristic gestures. She explained to the Mirror: 'Trump's overall body language message on this visit suggests a desire to be seen as a powerful heavyweight and statesmanlike presence adopting a solemn approach to the meeting.
He neither drops his own power signals to appear compliant or needy, nor overdoes the power-posturing rituals to engage in any form of stand-off with Xi. He also seems to steer well away from any showboating or too much ego-buffing.
' Trump and Xi engaged in what the US President described as 'extremely positive conversations' covering matters that were 'all good for the United States and China'. Xi, for his part, urged the two global powers to collaborate as partners rather than rivals, saying that both parties believe that the China-US relationship 'is the most important bilateral relationship in the world.
' The harmony between the duo was also evident to Judi when examining their body language. She observed: 'There is considerable mirroring between the two men as they adopt some poses that entail splayed feet and raised chins to suggest almost mutual levels of strength and status. Unlike Putin, who registered his friendship with Xi by cracking jokes and using animated gesticulation during his visit, Trump appears restrained and even gracious here.
', reports the Mirror . 'As he steps out of the car he creates a moment of pause, buttoning his jacket in an unhurried way rather than darting round to greet a waiting Xi. His walk towards Xi didn't look like any mark of disrespect from the Chinese leader as he was waiting on end of the red carpet to offer the kind of pomp and circumstance that Trump enjoys.
An emphatic display of what's called an 'act of inconvenience' to show how honoured a guest is might, in the West, have included Xi standing, waiting on the tarmac when Trump first stepped onto Chinese soil, but the ritual here suggests that many stops have been pulled out in Trump's honour.
' Examining the dynamic between the two leaders, Judi explained: 'Trump did take some control during the shake, instigating it by throwing his hand out rather than allowing his host to take that role, and dominating the choreography by pulling in close and rotating the pose enough so his face could be seen by the cameras. His five patting gestures on the hand clasp could be described as power pats, but they looked more like an attempt by Trump to cement the relationship or seal the deal in terms of their friendship.
'Thanks to his UK visits, Trump is now an adept assessor of troops and he walks ahead with confidence, adopting a very serious facial expression complete with mouth clamp. It's only when he gets to the children who erupt into signals of 'joy' that we see Trump afford a smile. He looks genuinely touched here and stops to applaud them and their apparent adulation.
'Trump is still relatively tactile with Xi although both the handshake and the touches following them are restrained by his standards. He seems to want to acknowledge their friendship but without compromising his serious, statesmanlike demeanour that looks aimed at creating history, so he confines himself to pats on the arm rather than anything more animated or overkill. '
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