With the Chinese leader Xi Jinping and President Trump set to meet on Thursday, officials in Beijing are flattering Mr. Trump and appealing to his ego while still elevating Mr. Xi.

中国领导人习近平和特朗普总统定于周四会面，北京的官员们一方面讨好特朗普，迎合他的自尊心，同时也在抬高习近平的地位。

Chinese officials have hailed the two men as “world class leaders,” as helmsmen of a giant ship sailing through stormy waters and as conductors of two great orchestras trying to play together.

中国官员称两人为“世界级领袖”，比喻他们是掌舵一艘巨轮驶过风暴的舵手，也是两支试图合奏的伟大交响乐团的指挥。

Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump will meet on Thursday in Busan, South Korea, where they are expected to discuss how to pull back from a trade war that threatens the global economy. Their first in-person meeting of Mr. Trump’s second term, it is seen as critical for shoring up a fragile trade truce between the two countries that was struck last month after four rounds of negotiations.

习近平和特朗普将于周四在韩国釜山会面，预计他们将讨论如何缓和威胁全球经济的贸易战。这是两人在特朗普第二任期内的首次面对面会晤，被视为巩固两国上月在四轮谈判后达成的脆弱贸易休战的关键。

Recent moves on both sides, including new Chinese restrictions on the export of critical minerals and U.S. measures that would bar more Chinese companies from accessing American technology, have put that truce at risk. U.S. and Chinese negotiators said on Sunday that the two sides had agreed to a framework of a deal, to be finalized on Thursday. The terms could include tariff relief and deferring the Chinese controls on rare earths, critical minerals needed in almost all modern technology.

双方近期的一系列举动，包括中国对关键矿产出口实施的新限制，以及美国采取措施禁止更多中国企业获取美国技术，都使得这一休战面临破裂风险。美中谈判代表周日表示，双方已同意一项框架性协议，预计将在周四最终敲定。协议条款可能包括关税减免以及推迟中国对稀土等关键矿产的出口管控，这些矿产几乎用于所有的现代科技产品。

For months, Chinese officials have taken a tough stance on Mr. Trump’s tariffs and other U.S. economic measures against their country, pledging readiness to fight “a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war” that Washington wants.

数月来，中国官员在面对特朗普的关税及其他经济措施时，采取了强硬立场，并放话已经做好了应对“关税战、贸易战或者别的什么战”的准备。

But they have also been trying, in their own way, to flatter the president and encourage him to strike his own path as the leader of a powerful nation — and not to be distracted by more hawkish advisers in his administration.

但他们也一直在用自己的方式奉承这位总统，并鼓励他作为一个强国的领导人走出自己的道路——不要被政府中更为鹰派的顾问所干扰。

“This reflects China’s characteristic top-down approach, in which the leader sets a grand objective and subordinates are expected to find ways to realize it,” said Henry Gao, a trade expert and professor of law at Singapore Management University.

“这反映了中国特有的自上而下的方式，即领导人设定一个宏伟目标，下属则要设法实现它，”新加坡管理大学贸易专家、法学教授高树超表示。

In a speech in August, China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng compared relations between the two countries to two orchestras attempting to perform together. Both need strong conductors that command obedience. “The conductor needs to set the tempo and shape the dynamics, and all the musicians need to work closely to ensure cohesion,” he said.

在8月的一次讲话中，中国驻美国大使谢锋将两国关系比作两个试图同台演出的乐团。双方都需要一位能够赢得服从的强有力指挥。“需要指挥家把控正确的节奏力度，也需要所有的演奏者相互配合、协调一致，”他说。

When the two leaders spoke by phone in June, Mr. Xi — while comparing U.S.-China relations to a giant ship that requires the two presidents to steady the helm — advised Mr. Trump to “steer clear of various disturbances and disruptions.”

6月两国领导人通电话时，习近平将中美关系比作巨轮，需要两位总统来掌稳船舵，并且建议特朗普“排除各种干扰甚至破坏”。

This week, Chinese diplomats have continued to laud Mr. Trump, but they have also made sure to include Mr. Xi in the adulation, drawing attention to China’s leverage and elevated global standing.

本周，中国外交官继续赞扬特朗普，但他们也确保在赞美中提及习近平，以凸显中国的影响力和提升的国际地位。

Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China on Monday called Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi “world class leaders” who have “interacted over a long period and respect each other.” A spokesman from the ministry said on Thursday that the two leaders were “irreplaceable” when it came to shaping the China-U.S. relationship.

中国外交部长王毅周一称特朗普和习近平是“世界级领袖”，他们“长期交往、彼此尊重”。外交部发言人周四表示，在塑造中美关系方面，两位领导人是“不可替代的”。

For Mr. Gao, such language is “about China’s own self-affirmation that it has reached parity with the U.S. — a signal that Xi sees himself as standing on equal footing with Trump.”

在高树超看来，这种措辞“是中国对自己已与美国平起平坐的一种自我肯定——这表明习近平认为自己与特朗普是平起平坐的”。

It’s also a sign that Mr. Xi will be going into Thursday’s meeting confident in his demands. Beijing has been pushing Washington to reduce tariffs on Chinese goods, loosen export controls on computer chips and other technology, and drop its latest threats of further tariffs and other punitive measures.

这也意味着习近平将在周四的会晤中以更自信的姿态提出自己的诉求。北京一直在推动华盛顿减少对中国商品的关税、放宽对电脑芯片和其他技术的出口管制，并撤回最新一轮进一步加征关税及其他惩罚性措施的威胁。

Mr. Trump for his part wants Beijing to restart purchases of U.S. soybeans and to stop the flow of chemicals used to make illegal fentanyl that reaches the United States. U.S. officials have also called on Beijing to pull back on its new controls over rare earths.

特朗普则希望北京恢复购买美国大豆，并阻止制造非法芬太尼所需化学原料流入美国。美国官员还呼吁北京撤销对稀土出口的新管控措施。

“Both leaders see themselves and their countries as in a very strong position. They believe they have significant leverage over the other,” said Bonnie Glaser, the managing director of German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program. “Neither wants to look weak to their domestic audiences.”

“两位领导人都认为自己和自己的国家处于非常强势的地位。他们相信自己对对方拥有重要的影响力，”德国马歇尔基金印太项目常务董事葛来仪(Bonnie Glaser)说。“任何一方都不想在国内受众面前显得软弱。”