Reversals are so commonplace in history that for the Mountain to come to Mohamet, sparing him the arduous climb to its holy heights, need cause little surprise. Xi Jinping has come to Washington, where he was lavishly received and duly honored by President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Xi is General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President (actually Chairman) of the state, the People’s Republic of China. Mr. Trump also unites party and state.

The New York Times (9/26) reports: “The trip was certainly a propaganda boost for Mr. Xi, who has sought to cast himself as an equal to Mr. Trump on the world stage.” Mr. Trump’s standing on the world stage and at home is at a low point, however, while China’s and Xi’s keep rising, so the opposite may be closer to the truth. Desperate to improve his standing, the US president would like to have some of Xi’s stature and prestige imparted to him.  The resulting enthusiasm with which Trump treated his guest has disquieted the numerous US China hawks, an effect the US president may have indirectly sought.

The world saw a short-term truce and long-term reconciliation within hours. The US and China broke new ground by setting aside some differences; the Pope ended a two-century-old cultural war.

America, which a year ago was supposed to overwhelm China with a barrage of tariffs, today sent its President Donald Trump to the airport to personally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping: a gesture that speaks louder than a thousand words about the profound shift between the two countries.

America did not get down on its knees to straighten the red carpet for Xi, as other eloquent images had shown, lingering on American Marines smoothing out creases and preventing any potentially embarrassing stumble by the guest from Beijing. But the US certainly hasn’t backed China into a corner.

It didn’t just secure a ceasefire, as had happened in Beijing in May — what we may be seeing now could be a genuine truce. How things develop from here remains to be seen. What’s certain is that international politics and the markets could expect a period of relative calm between.