For Trump, Mar-a-Lago is place to break the ice with China's Xi

By Steve Holland

REUTERS

 

The Mar-a-Lago estate owned by U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has told visitors that his Mar-a-Lago retreat is set up perfectly for foreign visits, but the Chinese side was initially hesitant when word came that Trump would like to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping there, according to administration officials.

 

Even after seeing images of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's back-slapping sessions with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in February, Chinese officials thought the oceanfront, Spanish-style club in Palm Beach, Florida, lacked the symbolic significance of the White House itself.

 

“They thought, no, it has to be the White House, the symbolism of that,” a senior administration official told Reuters. “They were ultimately convinced that this was worth doing. It’s unusual because most foreigners realise that being invited to the president’s personal place is a big deal.”

 

Trump and Xi are to hold their first summit encounter beginning on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, a property that original owner Marjorie Merriweather Post's estate willed to the U.S. government for use as a diplomatic and presidential retreat after her death in 1973.

 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing that the Chinese side was fine with having the meeting there.

 

“President Trump, after taking office, announced that Mar-a-Lago would be the winter White House. The U.S. proposal to hold the U.S.-China heads of state meeting there, I think, represents the importance that the U.S. side places on this meeting. China respects the U.S. side’s arrangements," she said.

 

No matter where the heads of state meet, "the most important thing is to develop China-U.S. relations and make contributions to both countries and the world," she said.

 

Topping the agenda at Mar-a-Lago will be U.S.-China trade ties and U.S. requests for China to help rein in its nuclear-armed neighbour North Korea.

 

LESS FORMAL

 

Trump bought the estate in 1985 and turned it into an exclusive club, which now boasts a membership fee of $200,000 and is a haven for the tiny Palm Beach set who pull up to the gate in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.

 

"It's a place where he feels comfortable and at home, and where he can break the ice with Xi Jinping without the formality, really, of a Washington meet-up," said another senior White House official.

 

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, will join Trump and his wife, Melania, for dinner on Thursday night then Trump and Xi will have a series of meetings there on Friday. The entire visit will last less than 24 hours.

 

“What matters is that the two of them get together for a successful summit, even if it’s on the moon," said former U.S. ambassador to China, Max Baucus.

 

"However, I do think that Mar-a-lago will probably help enhance conversation between the two of them. President Trump can show President Xi around, show him the digs. Trump is very proud of that, and President Xi will be interested in seeing all of that.”

 

The two leaders are not expected to make public appearances but there are likely to be occasions for a pool of the news media to see them. No joint news conference was expected.

 

Past U.S. presidents have often turned to settings away from the trappings of Washington to conduct delicate diplomacy. George H.W. Bush had his seaside estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, and George W. Bush frequently played host to foreign leaders at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

 

Trump's immediate predecessor, Barack Obama, used the Sunnylands retreat in Rancho Mirage, California, as a site for an informal summit with Xi in 2013.

 

While Trump treated Abe to golf, no such outing is planned for the leader of China.

 

Mar-a-Lago has already been the scene of some controversy for Trump.

 

When a North Korean missile test disrupted Abe's visit there, Trump and the Japanese leader were seen at a dinner table on the terrace discussing how to respond, as club members looked on from nearby tables.

 

(Additional reporting by Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Caren Bohan and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-06

2 hours ago, webfact said:

For Trump, Mar-a-Lago is place to break the ice with China's Xi

Not to mention the payments that will accrue for using this venue

 

Anyone that thinks Mar-a-Lago is hosting this event for free is really delusional 

If people haven't already figured it out, the only reason why Trump is using his estate for these high profile meetings is to raise its profile future down the road, as it will be in the news and history, increasing its value.

I'm not absolutely anti trump...but his insistence on using his personal property for government work is stupid, egocentric, and will lead him to an ethics violation.  The USA has Camp David, a beautiful retreat that has hosted dignitaries for decades...Trump is trying to find a tax write off, and it appears petty.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

 

No matter where the heads of state meet, "the most important thing is to develop China-U.S. relations and make contributions to both countries and the world," she said.

Yawn

7 hours ago, webfact said:

“What matters is that the two of them get together for a successful summit, even if it’s on the moon," said former U.S. ambassador to China, Max Baucus.

Brilliant idea contact Elon Musk and see if he has a couple empty seats. 

Where can I buy one of those small mechanical flies with audio and video. 

Does anyone know Mr. Xi's golf score? Should the Donald gracefully loose. OOOpps sorry forgot.

Xi often meets world leaders at golf courses—he met Barack Obama at Sunnylands in California in 2013, and in September he rode up front on a golf cart with Russia’s Vladimir Putin in Hangzhou in China. But he doesn’t play with them, a decision attributed to his crackdown on club membership freebies for party officials and the legacy of Mao Zedong, who called it a game for millionaires.

14 hours ago, hdkane said:

I'm not absolutely anti trump...but his insistence on using his personal property for government work is stupid, egocentric, and will lead him to an ethics violation.  The USA has Camp David, a beautiful retreat that has hosted dignitaries for decades...Trump is trying to find a tax write off, and it appears petty.

 

He prefers to do business (and other things) surrounded by Kitsch,

 

It's his "safe place".

 

Mar a Largo:

 

 

Trump Tower:

 

 

7 hours ago, Enoon said:

I'm not absolutely anti trump...but his insistence on using his personal property for government work is stupid, egocentric, and will lead him to an ethics violation.  The USA has Camp David, a beautiful retreat that has hosted dignitaries for decades...Trump is trying to find a tax write off, and it appears petty.

I am sure if you read your post again you will be absolutely anti- Trump. You just say to much for even you to overlook. 

7 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

He prefers to do business (and other things) surrounded by Kitsch,

 

It's his "safe place".

 

Mar a Largo:

 

 

Trump Tower:

 

 

Make sure you wash your hands before you touch anything. Melania is a good looking woman and seems to have street smarts. Was it love it first sight with the Donald or just grabbing the brass ring. 

8 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

He prefers to do business (and other things) surrounded by Kitsch,

 

It's his "safe place".

 

Mar a Largo:

 

 

Trump Tower:

 

 

Hideous beyond belief. That building has great bones but it has been trumped into mega vulgarity.