Trump leaves Beijing with few wins but warm words for Xi
Trump's visit to America's main strategic and economic rival, the first by a US president since his last trip in 2017, had aimed for tangible results to beef up his sagging approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections.
Highlights
- China offers no clear help on Iran war, airs frustration
- US officials tout deal on farm goods, details scant
- Boeing shares slump after orders missed expectations
- Xi issues stark warning on Taiwan in closed-door talks
US President Donald Trump left China on Friday (15 May) with no major breakthroughs on trade or tangible help from Beijing to end the Iran war, despite two days spent heaping praise on his host, Xi Jinping.
Trump's visit to America's main strategic and economic rival, the first by a US president since his last trip in 2017, had aimed for tangible results to beef up his sagging approval ratings before midterm elections.
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The summit was filled with pageantry, from goose-stepping soldiers to tours of a secret garden, but behind closed doors Xi issued a stark warning to Trump that any mishandling of China's top concern, Taiwan, could spiral into conflict.
During a huddle with reporters on the way back to the US, Trump said Xi told him he opposed Taiwan's independence.
"I heard him out. I didn't make a comment...I made no commitment either way," said Trump. He added that he will decide on a pending arms sale to Taiwan shortly, after speaking to "the person that right now is...running Taiwan."
These were the first freewheeling remarks after two days in Beijing during which Trump stayed unusually restrained, with his off-the-cuff comments mainly focused on feting Xi's warmth and stature.
"It's been an incredible visit. I think a lot of good has come of it," Trump told Xi at their final meeting at the Zhongnanhai complex, a former imperial garden, before their lunch of lobster balls and Kung Pao chicken.
While Trump searched for immediate business wins, such as a deal to sell Boeing jets that did not impress investors, Xi talked up a long-term reset and pact to maintain stable trade ties with Washington, underscoring their differing priorities.
Xi pushed the new term to describe the relationship as "constructive strategic stability" – a sharp departure from the framing of "strategic competition" used by former US President Joe Biden which Beijing disliked.
"Until now, China hasn't proposed an alternative - now they have - if the US side agrees, that is progress," said Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
No help on Iran
A brief US summary of Thursday's talks highlighted what the White House called the leaders' shared desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz off Iran, and Xi's interest in American oil purchases to pare its dependence on the Middle East.
But just before the leaders met for tea on Friday, China's foreign ministry issued a blunt statement outlining its frustration with the war.
"This conflict, which should never have happened, has no reason to continue," the ministry said, adding that China supported efforts to reach a peace deal in a war that had disrupted energy supplies and the global economy.
At Zhongnanhai, Trump said the leaders had discussed Iran and felt "very similar", though Xi did not comment. On the flight back home, Trump added that he wasn't "asking for any favors" on Iran.
Still, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had urged Beijing to use its leverage with Tehran to make a deal. But analysts doubt Xi will be willing to push Tehran hard or end support for its military, given Iran's value to Beijing as a strategic counterweight to the US
"What's notable is that there's no Chinese commitment to do anything specific with regards to Iran," said Patricia Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Boeing shares slide on underwhelming deal
In another sign of a diminished scale of the summit, Trump's readout did not mention the broad structural reforms on which previous presidents pressed Xi.
Unlike his previous trip in 2017, Trump did not discuss "structural reforms," "global economic governance" or the "international trading system" with Xi, according to the readout.
Even the deal touted as the biggest single deliverable from the meetings underwhelmed. Boeing stock fell 4% when Trump said on Thursday China would buy 200 Boeing (BA.N) jets, significantly fewer than the roughly 500 that sources told Reuters had been under discussion.
He later added that the order could go up to 750 planes "if they do a good job with the 200."
US officials said they had agreed deals to sell farm goods and made progress on mechanisms to manage future trade, with both sides expected to identify $30 billion of non-sensitive goods.
There were scant details of the deals, however, and no signs of a breakthrough on selling Nvidia's advanced H200 AI chips to China, despite CEO Jensen Huang's dramatic last-minute addition to the trip.
Trump also left without official resolution to the rare earths supply problem that has dogged ties since China imposed export controls on the vital minerals in response to Trump's tariff barrage in April 2025.
While the leaders struck a truce last October for Washington to lower tariffs in exchange for China keeping rare earths flowing, Beijing's controls have caused shortages for US chipmakers and aerospace companies.
When asked if the two sides extended the truce beyond later this year, Trump said he and Xi "did not discuss tariffs."
Such an extension would be "the most basic benchmark" for the success of the summit, said Brookings' Kim.
Xi's remarks to Trump that mishandling Taiwan, the democratically governed island Beijing claims, could lead to conflict, delivered a sharp warning during a summit that otherwise appeared friendly and relaxed.
Taiwan, 50 miles (80 km) off China's coast, has long been a flashpoint in ties, with Beijing refusing to rule out use of military force to gain control of the island and the US bound by law to provide it the means of self-defence.
"US policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung thanked the US for expressing its support.
