Trump leaves China, short on deliverables but with signs of a stabilized relationship
CNN
By Betsy Klein, Simone McCarthy, Kristen Holmes, CNN
Beijing (CNN) — President Donald Trump departed Beijing Friday afternoon local time without any immediate sign that the US and China have resolved thorny challenges dogging their fractious relationship, but with a freshly stabilized relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping – for now.
The leaders covered a range of issues from Iran and Taiwan to trade, during two days that included intensive bilateral meetings. But there were also grand displays of soft diplomacy, marking the first Beijing meeting for the longtime rivals in nearly a decade.
Since Trump’s last visit in 2017, he has reimagined Washington’s role in the world, while Xi has tightened his grip on authority domestically and spurred China’s high-tech transformation.
“We’ve settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to settle, and the relationship is a very strong one,” Trump said at the start of bilateral discussions Friday, offering no concrete details on the problems in question.
Given how bad relations have been in recent years, the fact both leaders came away speaking of each other in warm terms and agreeing on the importance of their ties is evidence of a shift to stabilization at a time when a jittery world is desperately seeking geopolitical calm.
The US-Israeli war with Iran loomed over the whirlwind summit. There were questions of what, if any, behind-the-scenes support Xi might be willing to extend to help bring an end to the months-long conflict, which has thrown the global economy into turmoil without a clear endgame.
Details of the sweeping trade deals Trump promised ahead of the trip remain unclear, with big pronouncements from the president and some top officials, but any substantive announcements still absent and unconfirmed by China.
And amid concerns from experts and analysts that Xi was walking into the meeting with the upper hand, the Chinese leader offered his own flex on the issue of Taiwan.
But the visit also provided an opportunity to reset the tone of the fractious US-China relationship, Xi rolling out a literal and figurative red carpet that charmed and delighted his guest, a warm connection on display.
“I think it will go down as a very important moment in history. And maybe more than anything else, a great moment of respect,” Trump reflected during an interview with Fox News.
Iran war loomed over visit
Ahead of talks, expectations were high that the American president could push his Chinese counterpart to help resolve the Iran conflict.
China is a close diplomatic partner of Iran and the top purchaser of its oil – and has framed itself as proponent of peace throughout the war. The topic was part of the more than two hours of discussions between the two leaders Thursday, but Trump departed without a clear sign from Beijing that it’s willing to press Tehran to work with US demands.
Instead, comments from both sides so far suggest the summit hasn’t moved the needle.
Trump told Fox News that Xi offered to help resolve the conflict and pledged not to provide Iran with military equipment. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a separate interview with NBC News Thursday, said the US did not ask for China’s help resolving the conflict.
A readout released by the White House also said the two countries agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.
It also said Xi “made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use,” and suggested China would buy more oil from the US.
A US-China energy deal may be in the works, one that sees Beijing – which imports large quantities of Iranian oil – purchase more US supplies. But whether the Trump-Xi talks will have any bearing on the conflict remains unclear, as Beijing appeared to largely have reiterated its existing position.
China has already repeatedly pledged to do what it can to facilitate peace negotiations. Xi last month called for the Strait of Hormuz to “maintain normal passage.” As a policy, China says it does not supply weapons to countries in conflict.
Beijing supports Iran’s stated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons, though it backs the country’s right to a peaceful nuclear program.
China also leaned into its own framing of the war in a statement released by its Foreign Ministry Friday morning, saying that it “should have never happened.” It also implied consistency in its message, adding China’s position was “very clear.”
Trump, meanwhile, seemed to accept limits to the pressure Beijing is likely to put on Iran.
“Look, he’s not coming in with guns … not coming in shooting,” he told Fox News when asked if Xi would influence the Iranians. “He’s been very good.”
Taiwan friction, and a warning
For his part, Xi used the opportunity of having Trump in his home court to give an explicit warning on Taiwan – an issue Xi called the “most important” in US-China relations.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability,” Xi said during his Thursday-morning meeting with Trump, according to a Chinese readout. “Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
The language – which appears as unusually direct, though in step with Beijing’s expected rhetoric – stands out in tone from China’s otherwise upbeat assessment of the new era of “strategic stability” between the two countries touted by Xi.
That’s sure to be a deliberate choice to make one thing clear: Beijing wants to have a positive relationship, but only if the US can respect what China sees as its “red line” on Taiwan.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims the self-ruling democracy as its own territory and has vowed to “reunify” with the island, by force if necessary. It has long decried the US’ robust unofficial relationship with Taipei and its arms sales to the island.
Despite concern from some observers that Xi would try to maneuver Trump to shift US positioning on Taiwan – or Trump would use the island as a bargaining chip – Rubio said America’s position on the issue is “unchanged.”
Speaking to NBC, the diplomat said the issue was raised and the two sides stated their positions, and then “moved on to the other topics.”
“We always respond by saying anything that would compel or force a change in what we have now would be problematic” he said. He added that the topic of arms sales “did not feature prominently” in discussions.
Trade and economic deals give Trump a win at home
Trump is returning to the White House with some economic wins that have, so far, proven short on substance in the absence of any formal announcements or confirmation from China.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer announced the administration expects China to agree to buy “double-digit billion” worth of agricultural products from the US every year over the next three years, as a result of Trump’s trip.
However, on individual agricultural goods, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent indicated there would be no more purchases of soybeans during an interview with CNBC, stressing they were taken care of under October’s sales agreement with China.
Greer told Bloomberg News that China had also “reupped” the license for American beef exports. Over the past year, export permission for more than 400 US beef plants expired. Greer did not specify the number of licenses renewed.
President Trump also announced that his Chinese counterpart agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets. Boeing’s CEO was part of the US delegation to China.
China has yet to confirm specific deals mentioned by the Trump team. In a readout, Beijing called for the countries to “expand exchanges and cooperation” in areas including the economy and trade, health, agriculture and tourism.
Pomp, circumstance, and a diplomatic odd couple
Trump, a former reality TV star, is keenly aware of optics and appreciates stagecraft as both a host in Washington and a guest abroad.
Xi understood his assignment.
He dispatched his vice president, Han Zheng, to meet Trump as he arrived in Beijing Wednesday evening local time. Han is widely seen as Xi’s envoy for diplomatic events and attended Trump’s 2025 inauguration, his presence this week signaling the importance with which China viewed Trump’s visit.
Asked if that moment was meaningful to him, Trump told Fox News he viewed it as a sign of respect.
“If I got out of a plane and nobody was there to greet me, I would say that wouldn’t be so cool because it’s really respect for our country. Our country is respected,” he said.
On Thursday, Trump was treated to a more elaborate welcome ceremony outside China’s Great Hall of the People, including military bands, a troop inspection, and a throng of schoolchildren waving flags and flowers. The US president appeared visibly delighted.
“We were treated very well,” Trump reflected later that day.
The president also offered rare deference to his counterpart, exerting uncharacteristic restraint, for example, during a walk with Xi around the Temple of Heaven as reporters from the US press pool tried to pepper him with questions. Trump, who is often keen to engage, offered a brief pleasantry, ignoring shouted questions on Taiwan.
He also sipped from a champagne flute during a toast at a state banquet, the teetotaler extending a meaningful gesture to his host.
Ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Zhongnanhai complex on Friday, Xi guided his guest on a tour of his gardens and offered sweeping historical references conveying subtle meaning.
Few world leaders get to see the inside of the Chinese Communist Party’s secretive leadership compound, which used to be the imperial gardens. Xi made sure to note that he had invited Trump there as a way to reciprocate his own visit to Mar-a-Lago.
Taken together, China’s meticulous stagecraft had its intended effect of projecting stability onto the US-China relationship.
Throughout the visit, Trump expressed admiration for Xi and the way he conducts himself.
“He’s not going to respond too much – he’s a pretty cool guy. He’s not going to say, ‘That’s a good point,’” Trump said of Xi.
He added: “There’s no games, there’s no talking about how nice the weather is, let’s look at the stars, let’s look at the sun. No, he’s all – he’s all business, and I like that. That’s a good thing. No games.”
CNN’s John Liu in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
