Diplomacy without deals: What Trump’s China visit really meant

Donald Trump returned from China with smiles and handshakes, but very few real promises. He called the trip “great” mostly because China announced plans to buy 200 Boeing jets and billions in soybeans. Those deals sound big, but no one has seen the fine print. Even the biggest moments were unclear: China’s leader Xi Jinping warned about Taiwan using tough words, yet Trump’s team stayed quiet afterward. That silence makes people wonder if Xi left the meeting feeling more confident than Trump. While Trump said China agreed Iran should never get a nuclear weapon, no one is sure what China will actually do about it. The oil trade through the Strait of Hormuz matters to China, so they say the waterway should stay open. But saying something and doing something are two different things. Trump still has the option to restart military action against Iran, which could push gas prices even higher. Most Americans already feel the pinch, so the clock is ticking on finding a better solution.Back home, Republicans are watching a tight Senate race in Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp is betting everything on Derek Dooley, a first-time politician and former football coach. Kemp’s support is risky: if Dooley wins the primary, it shows Kemp’s influence in Georgia politics. If Dooley loses, critics will say Kemp wasted his political capital on an unproven candidate. Three Republicans are fighting for the chance to face Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in November. Two of them, Mike Collins and Buddy Carter, are painting themselves as Trump’s biggest fans. Dooley, meanwhile, calls himself an outsider who can beat Ossoff. Collins is also dealing with an ethics investigation, calling the charges “fake news. ” Kemp has made his choice clear, even though former President Trump is staying out of the race for now.