Trump's quiet China wins are more important than Xi's empty state visit

China’s President Xi Jinping, ruler for life, is not ready to make sweeping deals with the USA on soybeans, AI or anything else. This was a State Visit, not a summit, but even so, deliverables were light. China’s state-owned People’s Daily was so strapped for material that they ran a story titled: "Bonded by Ping-Pong: China-U.S. friendship writes a new chapter."

But don’t lose heart. The Trump Administration has scored some quiet wins and much better field position for the long haul. "The...