US-China Summit: All Male Delegation Photo Sparks Backlash Over Absence Of Women At Key Meeting

As part of the high level talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, the meeting had garnered global attention for trade and security talks, but also for the fact that women were not present during the main bilateral session. There was all this diplomatic pomp, ceremonial guards, the waving of Chinese and American flags by kids, and high level officials from both countries. Yet once the meeting table was crossed by men, observers remarked that it was basically all men, and social media started buzzing with talk about gender parity in global diplomacy.

All Male Delegation Photo Of US-China Summit

The critics said this all male cast was sending some kind of ’embarrassment’ signal about who gets pulled in, and who gets quietly left out when it comes to global power. Harvard economics professor Gita Gopinath put out a comment that went around social media very fast, and she framed the image like, ‘a painting of the end of meritocracy’. Her remarks resonated online, and a lot of people pointed to the ongoing marginalization of highly qualified women from some of the main decision making stages across the world. Later, Gopinath clarified that the choosing of leaders should rest on ability and skills, not on personal connections or on old established power arrangements, as per The Guardian reported. 

Drawing Parallels With The Earlier Summits 

Academics and gender specialists also started drawing parallels with the earlier summits led by US and Chinese presidents. They also compared it with the Obama era US and China gatherings, where women often convened at top echelons. A bunch of officials, like Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice, along with former Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong, had been quite visible in past bilateral engagements. In their view, these new images looked like a more stern, even a slightly macho and military kind of power assertion, and it triggered worry about the shrinking influence of women in international diplomacy, experts said.

Social Media Reactions 

Were There Any Women In The Whole Summit?

But some number of women, businesspeople, and family members tied to Trump, still ended up in his wider Beijing delegation, even with the criticism hanging around. Those who were not exactly at the main diplomatic table included Jane Fraser and Dina Powell McCormick. The whole debate seems to be mirroring a more global discussion, about visibility, belonging and the level to which major powers are making real efforts, so that women have a meaningful say in international policy making, and in geopolitical decisions, analysts said.

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