“In the weeks leading up to President Trump welcoming President Xi Jinping of China to Washington on Wednesday evening, Beijing has been accused of undermining America’s national interests on a number of fronts,” the New York Times reports.“But as his meeting with Mr. Xi approached, Mr. Trump has repeatedly found ways to give him a pass — portraying him more as a personal friend than as a geopolitical competitor despite significant rivalries on matters of global power, trade, artificial intelligence and more.”