Following months of heightened tension, United States President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. The face-to-face meeting, their first since 2019, instantly captured global attention, especially due to a peculiar greeting ritual.
The two leaders greeted each other with an extended handshake that reportedly lasted for nearly 27 seconds, a moment immediately circulated across social media platforms.
The Handshake Goes Viral
The video clip of the long handshake quickly became a source of widespread commentary and amusement online. Social media users noted the excessive duration and contrasted the leaders’ demeanours.
Public Reaction to Duration: A YouTube user reacted to Trump’s typical style: “Why does he always have to be so touchy, shaking hands, holding on way too long?” Another commenter exclaimed, “27-second handshake from Trump and XI! Really?!”
Contrast in Demeanour: Many X (formerly Twitter) users highlighted a perceived difference in enthusiasm. One observation read, “Xi doesn’t care about Trump. Look how he is not reacting,” suggesting that while Trump appeared excited, Xi maintained a cold, measured expression.
Details of the Bilateral Meeting
The extended handshake took place in front of the cameras before the two leaders withdrew for a private conversation. The meeting marked the first time the pair had interacted face-to-face since 2019, when they last met at the G20 summit in Japan during Trump’s first term as US President.
Speaking about his counterpart, President Trump offered effusive praise before the talks:
“The very very distinguished and respected President of China and we will be having some discussions, I think we have already agreed to a lot of things and we will agree to some more right now. But President Xi is a great leader of a great country and I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time — and it’s an honor to have you with us,” Trump said, going on to refer to the Chinese leader as a “great friend.”
Following the private discussions, the American leader declared the meeting a significant achievement, terming the talks “a great success” and giving them a score of “12 on a scale of one to 10.”
The meeting concluded the President’s engagement in South Korea, after which he boarded Air Force One to return to the USA.
The 27-Second Handshake: Trump And Xi Jinping’s Viral Greeting At APEC Summit
