The main outcomes of the Trump-Xi summit—the two-month trade extension, the dialogue on AI, and even the carefully chosen language on Taiwan—point to Sino-American relations being in a holding pattern. For both sides, the main task is to prevent managed rivalry from devolving into outright confrontation.

BEIJING—At the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s primary objective was to prevent tensions from escalating further. From that perspective, it was largely successful.