Chris Wick News

Let’s be real for a second — whenever someone says “everlasting peace” in politics, it’s usually code for “we’ll see how long this lasts.” Still, watching Donald Trump and Xi Jinping shake hands again after six years apart feels like déjà vu from a different lifetime. The photo op at the APEC summit in Busan had that odd mix of tension and pageantry — two men who both love the spotlight pretending they’re the best of friends again.

Funny enough, I remember the last time Trump called something “historic.” It was the North Korea summit in Singapore, and for a few days the world really believed peace was on the table. This new “everlasting peace” moment between the U.S. and China? It has the same kind of energy — big promises, dramatic language, and a lot of details that only make sense if you squint.

The handshake that launched a thousand headlines

Trump posted about it on Truth Social, saying the meeting would lead to “everlasting peace and success.” You can almost hear him saying it — the confident tone, the flourish at the end. It’s classic Trump. And honestly, there’s something endearing about how he still believes diplomacy is just a matter of good vibes and deals.

The U.S. agreed to cut some tariffs on Chinese imports, and in return, China will ease up on its rare-earth export restrictions. For a year, at least. Which sounds good on paper, but these are the same rare-earth materials the U.S. military and tech industries desperately need. So, sure — it’s a temporary fix, but it’s not world peace.

Politics or progress?

The cynic in me says this is less about trade and more about optics. Trump gets to look presidential again, shaking hands with Xi like the world’s dealmaker-in-chief. Xi gets to look cooperative — a man of global stability rather than confrontation. Both win politically. But do ordinary Americans or Chinese citizens actually benefit from this “step toward peace”? That’s less clear.

And there’s a quiet irony here: the trade war Trump started years ago is still unwinding itself. The tariffs might go down from 57% to 47%, but it’s like removing a few bricks from a wall you built yourself. Sure, it helps, but the wall’s still standing.

Hope, hype, or habit?

Maybe I’m being too skeptical. Maybe both sides genuinely want to cool things down. After all, global markets are shaky, and neither leader wants a full-blown economic crisis on their watch. But still — the phrase “everlasting peace” just sounds… too tidy. Like it was made for headlines, not history books.

Then again, that’s politics for you. Grand declarations, temporary truces, and a photo op that looks great on the evening news. Maybe that’s the real “peace” they were talking about — not the kind that lasts forever, but the kind that keeps the cameras clicking and the markets calm.

So yeah, “everlasting peace”? We’ll see. Check back in six months — or maybe six tweets.