DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI AND BERRY WANG

New York Times

During his phone call with President Donald Trump, Xi Jinping leaned on a maritime analogy to try to salvage the fragile trade truce that seemed to be fracturing from a series of escalating punitive economic measures.

The Chinese leader compared the relationship between the United States and China to a large ship, with the two men serving as powerful captains holding the rudder firmly to maintain the proper course. The analogy also came with a warning.

Do not let others steer the ship off course and jeopardize the relationship.

For weeks, the White House seemed to openly lobby for a direct conversation between the two leaders − a point underscored by China stating that Xi had agreed to the call on Thursday at Trump's behest. With the U

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