Expected by many to be a showdown, a clash between the world’s two powerhouse economies, the long awaited meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, fell far short of that. While the meeting itself was lackluster in regards to the fierce clash many had expected, it did produce two somewhat substantial outcomes — or at least the beginnings.

Difficulties for the U.S. are not opportunities for China. The road to make America great again leads to Beijing; and for China to be strong and prosperous, effective cooperation from the American side is also indispensable.

Trump’s ascension to power was bad news for Beijing, especially because his “Make America Great Again” vision collides with Xi’s “Chinese dream” to make this the “Chinese century.” Yet China thus far has not only escaped any punitive American counteraction on trade and security matters, but also the expected Trump-Xi bonhomie at Mar-a-Lago could advertise that the more things change, the more they stay the same in U.S. foreign policy.

As an experienced businessman, Trump may not use words as thoughtfully as a typical politician, which sometimes is his strength rather than weakness. Words can be used as a tool in negotiations in different ways. The real question will be: How steadfast is his word when making deals?

The Asia Society and the University of California, San Diego, under the co-chairmanship of Orville Schell and Susan Shirk, have published a task force report on “US Policy Toward China: Recommendations for a New Administration.” Roughly two years in the making, the point of this report in light of the timing — published in February 2017 — is to serve as a guide for the Trump administration.

Tow traces a history of U.S.-China foreign relations, beginning in the 1860s to today, focusing on a policy he calls “surround/isolate/weaken.” The reason that policy toward China of the past 65-plus-years hasn’t worked is because it is based on “might makes right”, and not based on understanding, fair play, and win-win solutions. Anson Burlingame recognized about 150 years ago that, in the long run, the best interests of the U.S. and the American people are best served by a China policy based on equality of nations.

As the relationship between the US and China continues to evolve from one between the sole superpower and one of several major powers to one between the ‘eldest’ and ‘second brother’, the president-elect will need to be pragmatic and creative to preserve a deep mutual dependence between the two countries.

What does Donald Trump’s victory mean for Sino-American relations? With no experience in government, Trump is unique among all past American presidents. It also means the new president has no political background by which the Chinese can predict his behavior. Trump will come to the White House with a “clean slate” with respect to official “China policy.”

The new US leader must truly realize that managing US-China relations in a constructive manner is essential for both countries and the world at large. While Trump plans a dial-back on some US commitments abroad, he cannot change all market rules at will -- and he’s barking up the wrong tree when he attributes most of America’s economic problems to China.