Opinion: When President Trump encounters the Forbidden City

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The Forbidden City, an old royal palace in central Beijing, was the seat of power for over two dozen emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties of China for more than 500 years.

On November 8, it set the stage for a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump who made his first official visit to China. The two leaders toured the three main halls along the axis, admired some of the exhibits, interacted with Chinese craftsmen repairing relics, watched Peking Opera and enjoyed a dinner together.

To me, this is a typical Chinese way of hospitality, entertaining the guest with the best one can offer. I should say that this is also an ideal style of President Xi when having a dialogue with the world leaders. He first tries to get closer to whom he meets before getting down to business. And, indeed, the two presidents along with the first ladies had a wonderful time in the Forbidden City.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) arrives in Beijing on Nov. 8, 2017, starting

Why Forbidden City? Why not the Great Wall or the Summer Palace?

Well, the Great Wall is a structure that was built to defend China from the northern invaders, and the Summer Palace is a gem of traditional Chinese art of gardening.

The Forbidden City, on the other hand, epitomizes Chinese aesthetics and philosophy. From my perspective, the most critical part of the Presidents’ visit is not the grand architecture, not the relics on display, not Peking Opera, and not even the dinner. It’s the visit to the three main halls right at the center of the Forbidden City.

The names of the three halls, Taihedian, Zhonghedian and Baohedian, all have the Chinese character "he" in the middle. And "he" in Chinese means harmony. The grandest hall is Taihedian, the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The name illustrates the Chinese philosophy of seeking the utmost harmony not only between man and nature but also between different countries and peoples. "He" also means peace.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (2nd R) and his wife Peng Liyuan (1st R) welcome U.S. President Donald Trump (2nd L) and his wife Melania Trump at the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2017. They had an informal afternoon tea in the Baoyun Building, also known as the Hall of Embodied Treasures, in the southwestern corner of the Forbidden City. /Xinhua Photo

I think that President Xi wanted to convey to President Trump the message of peace and harmony. I hope President Trump understood the good intention arrangement of his host. For any visitor who goes to the Forbidden City, the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the pinnacle of the whole visit, not only because it’s the grandest building which represents the supreme power of the emperor, but also what its name implies.

I presume President Trump must have read about the Forbidden City. But for him to personally stand in front of the actual palaces would leave him more impressed.

President Trump’s China visit started with a bit of the Chinese history. And that is important. To better understand the people of a country, one must learn its history because history shows where the people came from and how their culture has evolved. As President Xi told President Trump, China is the only country which enjoys an uninterrupted civilization of over five thousand years. It may prove that the philosophy of harmony and peace is one of the deciding factors for China to thrive into the most populous nation on earth and one of the longest civilizations in the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, and U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump pose for a photo with performers after watching a Peking Opera performance at the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 8, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Talking about history, I have to mention a humiliating phase of the Chinese history, the Opium Wars.

In the early 19th century, the British had a trade deficit with China. In order to turn it around, the British Empire started selling opium to China and made a considerable profit. But the opium trade crippled China’s economy, physically weakened millions of Chinese and destroyed their spirit as well.

When the Qing government tried to ban opium trade, the British replied by initiating a war, not once but twice. The weak Qing government lost both wars and was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties with foreign powers. As a result, China lost a large piece of land and had to pay an enormous amount of reparations.

Today, the US also has a trade deficit with China. But the two countries are trying to deal with the issue through negotiations. I have to say that the right way to deal with the deficit is to boost trade further that will benefit both sides.

By the way, US’s trade deficit is not what China deliberately seeks. In fact, it is mainly due to the market demand in the US of Chinese products, not unfair trade. It’s all about the mechanism of market demand and supply. If the US didn’t have a trade deficit with China, it must have it with other countries. China has opened its market to the world including the US on its own initiative. The question is how the US can sell more to China. It is the American people who consume the "Made in China" products and benefited from their good quality and low price anyway.

Now let’s get back to history. A lot of people despise the short history of the US. I don’t agree. It’s true that the US has a relatively short history as a country. But, it has inherited European culture and is part of the Western civilization. So, the dialogue between China and the US is a dialogue between the Chinese civilization and Western civilization.

In his report to the just-concluded 19th Party Congress, Xi advocated respecting civilization diversity and promoting dialogue instead of clashes among civilizations. History has proved that civilization diversity is essential because human development is driven by and depends on exchanges among different civilizations. Civilization diversity includes the diversity of race, ethnicity, culture, religion and political system. I must say that civilizations should not confront each other simply because they are different. Instead, they should coexist harmoniously and peacefully so that they can thrive together.

(The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.)