Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner take a seat at the table for high-stakes G20 talks
- US president’s daughter and son-in-law emerge as key aides at Donald Trump’s side during multilateral and bilateral meetings in Osaka
- They could play a bigger role in relations with China in the future, analyst says
When Chinese President Xi Jinping met his US counterpart Donald Trump in Osaka on Saturday, agreeing to restart trade talks, the American side of the table included two surprise negotiators – Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
Their presence at the high-stakes meeting between the Chinese and US leaders has again highlighted the couple’s potential influence on Washington’s policy towards Beijing, at a time when the Trump administration is dominated by China hawks like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Trump, meanwhile, was again keen to emphasise his personal ties with Xi. Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Trump said he had a “tremendous” relationship with the Chinese president. He also called Xi “a brilliant leader” and “a brilliant man” and said “he’s probably considered to be one of the great leaders in 200 years, in China”.
And during the meeting with Xi, Trump reflected on his time spent in China.
“My trip to Beijing [in 2017] with my family is one of the most incredible of my life,” he said. “Chinese culture is an incredible culture.”