BEIJING: US President Donald Trump departed Beijing on Friday after a packed two-day visit that included high-level talks, a temple tour, and a tea meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Their discussions covered a wide range of issues, from trade and tariffs to tensions in the Middle East.
Here are five key takeaways from the superpower summit:
Deals struck?
Trump described the meeting as producing “fantastic trade deals,” while Xi Jinping referred more cautiously to reaching a “consensus.” However, neither side released any formal details or official announcements confirming specific agreements.
Trump emphasized that China would significantly increase purchases of American goods, saying Beijing would buy “billions of dollars of soybeans” from the United States. He also claimed China had agreed to purchase “over 200 planes from Boeing,” with a potential commitment of up to 750 aircraft if the initial deal is successfully executed. He further told Fox News that Xi had agreed to increase Chinese purchases of American oil.
Despite these statements, China’s foreign ministry did not confirm or deny any of the reported purchase agreements when questioned after the US president’s departure. Notably, a major expected topic — tariffs and the extension of a previously reached trade truce — was not discussed during the summit, according to Trump.
Opening Hormuz
China has consistently described the ongoing US war in Iran as “illegal” and has called for an end to the conflict. In parallel, Beijing has taken on a quiet mediating role, hosting Iran’s foreign minister shortly before Trump’s visit and engaging with several Gulf countries diplomatically.
Trump said that during the talks, Xi Jinping agreed to help ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that has been largely disrupted since the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28. According to the White House, both sides agreed that the strait must remain open to guarantee the free flow of energy supplies.
China has a strong economic stake in the waterway, as more than half of its sea-borne crude imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz, according to maritime data firm Kpler. However, Beijing’s foreign ministry did not confirm Xi’s commitment to assisting in reopening the passage when asked after Trump’s departure.
Taiwan? No comment
During their first bilateral meeting, Xi Jinping issued a stern warning that mishandling the Taiwan issue could push the United States and China toward direct conflict, calling it the most sensitive issue in bilateral relations.
Analysts had suggested ahead of the summit that Beijing might try to push for a shift in Washington’s longstanding position on Taiwan. However, Trump said Xi asked whether the US would defend Taiwan in the event of a conflict, to which he replied: “I don’t talk about that.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio later reiterated in an interview with NBC that “US policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged,” signaling no official shift in Washington’s stance despite the high-level discussions.
‘Milestone’
Throughout the visit, Trump repeatedly praised Xi Jinping, calling him a “friend” and a “great leader,” and extending an invitation for him to visit the United States in September.
Xi did not mirror Trump’s public warmth, but he did describe the visit as a “milestone” and introduced a new framework of “constructive strategic stability” to define US-China relations for the next three years. As a symbolic gesture, he also said he would send Chinese rose seeds to the White House after Trump expressed admiration for the flowers at the Zhongnanhai leadership compound.
According to Professor Dong Wang of Peking University, the new framework is more than symbolic, representing a “major strategic repositioning” aimed at managing tensions while maintaining cooperation. He noted that both powers are now operating under clearer guardrails designed to reduce miscalculation.
George Chen of The Asia Group added that this shift could be seen as progress compared to the “strategic competition” framework of the Biden era.
Following Trump’s departure from China, the state news agency Xinhua reported that Beijing’s top diplomat indicated Xi is expected to visit the United States in the autumn.