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BEIJING (AP) — As President Donald Trump wraps up his whirlwind sojourn to China connected Friday, he's insistent that relations betwixt the world's 2 biggest powers are bully and getting amended contempt heavy differences connected Iran, Taiwan and more.
Trump started his past time successful Beijing by boasting connected societal media that Chinese person Xi Jinping had “congratulated maine connected truthful galore tremendous successes” and had been referring lone to his predecessor, erstwhile U.S. President Joe Biden, erstwhile helium “very elegantly referred to the United States arsenic possibly being a declining nation.”
But Trump's rosy outlook connected the U.S.-China narration collides with immoderate hard truths astir the thorniest issues betwixt the 2 superpowers.
Beijing has shown small nationalist involvement successful U.S. entreaties to get much progressive successful solving the struggle successful Iran, adjacent though Trump said successful an interrogation with Fox News' Sean Hannity that Xi had successful their conversations offered to help. And the White House believes China tin inactive bash much to stem the travel of Chinese-made precursor chemicals into Mexico utilized to marque illicit fentanyl that has wreaked havoc connected galore U.S. communities.
Xi, meanwhile, warned Trump during backstage talks that their differences connected the self-ruled land of Taiwan, if handled poorly, could hurtle the world's ascendant powers toward “clashes and adjacent conflicts,” according to Chinese authorities officials.
Trump and Xi are acceptable to person much clip unneurotic astatine Xi's authoritative residence, Zhongnanhai, connected Friday earlier the U.S. person makes the agelong travel backmost to Washington.
The compound is wrapped astir 2 manmade lakes that had been built for the pleasance of emperors. Zhongnanhai is often compared to the White House, the Kremlin oregon South Korea’s Blue House. But dissimilar the different statesmanlike residences, Zhongnanhai does not service arsenic the main venue for diplomatic visits. The invitation appears to beryllium an effort by Xi to widen a idiosyncratic interaction to a U.S. person who appreciates large gestures.
“I deliberation he’s a lukewarm person, actually. But he’s each business,” Trump said of Xi successful the Fox News interview. “There’s nary games.”
Xi besides welcomed erstwhile U.S. President Barack Obama to Zhongnanhai successful 2014. The 2 leaders took an evening stroll and had meal there.
Taiwan remains the astir important contented for China
Xi's crisp connection connected Taiwan loomed ample implicit Thursday's talks, adjacent arsenic Trump sought to play up the conception that the U.S. and China stock a “special relationship."
But Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that U.S. argumentation toward Taiwan was “unchanged” and cautioned that it would beryllium “a unspeakable mistake” for China to effort to instrumentality Taiwan by force. He besides framed Xi's comments arsenic modular practice.
“They ever rise it connected their side. We ever marque wide our position, and we determination connected to the different topics,” said Rubio, who was among elder aides to articulation Trump for the talks.
China successful caller weeks has sought to enactment much absorption connected its presumption that Taiwan sits astatine the “core” of its interests and is cardinal to ensuring a unchangeable narration with the U.S.
Trump has demanded Taiwan summation defence spending, and successful December, the White House announced an $11 cardinal weapons bundle for Taiwan, the largest ever to the land democracy.
But the U.S. has yet to statesman fulfilling the arms sales, and Trump had said helium expected to sermon the substance with Xi successful Beijing. He’s besides groused that Taiwan “stole” America’s semiconductor concern and called connected Taiwan to wage the U.S. for protection.
All the while, Trump has, with the menace of hefty tariffs and Biden-era incentives, prodded Taipei to hold to monolithic investments successful U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and to acquisition billions of dollars’ worthy of U.S. liquefied earthy state and crude oil. The cognition toward Taiwan has raised questions astir whether Trump mightiness beryllium unfastened to dialing backmost enactment for the land democracy.
Ma Chun-wei, an adept successful China-Taiwan relations astatine Taiwan’s Tamkang University, said the elevated defence narration betwixt Washington and Taipei has caused China to toughen its rhetoric implicit Taiwan.
“For Xi Jinping, helium indispensable amusement that the Taiwan contented is successful China’s hands. He indispensable show this image, oregon other helium would beryllium criticized,” Ma said.
China wants the Strait of Hormuz opened
Iran was connected the docket erstwhile Trump sat down with Xi connected Thursday for their two-hour gathering successful the Great Hall of the People.
The leaders agreed that the Strait of Hormuz — efficaciously closed since the commencement of the Iran struggle — needs to beryllium reopened to enactment planetary vigor demands, Trump told Fox News. About 20% of the world’s lipid flowed done the strait earlier the warfare started connected Feb. 28.
Trump said successful the interrogation that Xi privately offered assistance connected resolving the war, though it was unclear what that would mean, fixed China's strategical concern with Iran.
“He’d similar to spot the Hormuz Strait open," Trump said. "He said if I tin beryllium of immoderate assistance whatsoever, I would similar to help.”
The president besides said Xi was besides opposed to immoderate implementation of tolls connected vessels crossing the strait and expressed involvement successful China perchance purchasing much U.S. lipid to trim Chinese dependence connected Gulf lipid successful the future.
Trump earlier this week had downplayed the value of talks with Xi connected the 11-week-old Iran warfare that has led to surging vigor prices and threatens to plunge the planetary system into recession if the struggle does not reason soon.
But earlier Air Force One could onshore successful Beijing, Rubio said medication officials would marque the lawsuit to the Chinese officials astir wherefore they should beryllium invested successful prodding Iran to travel to presumption to extremity the war.
Indeed, the Chinese, who person been captious of the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran, clasp unsocial leverage arsenic Iran’s biggest trading partner. The Chinese authorities has managed to upwind the economical harm caused by the warfare with the assistance of its strategical lipid reserves, but that backstop is not limitless. Economists accidental the Iran struggle could inactive person a large interaction connected China’s export-driven economy.
Will Trump denote immoderate large concern deals?
The White House, up of the visit, insisted that Trump wouldn’t beryllium making the travel without an oculus toward securing results earlier helium leaves, suggesting determination could beryllium announcements coming connected trade.
Those could inactive come, with the U.S. broadside hoping to nail down Chinese commitments to bargain U.S. soybeans and beef. Trump told Fox News that Xi had indicated a committedness for China to bargain 200 Boeing jets from the U.S.
The leaders connected Thursday discussed expanding U.S. cultivation purchases by the Chinese and opportunities for some sides to grow concern into each other's markets, according to the White House. Trump medication officials besides privation to enactment toward establishing a Board of Trade with China to code commercialized differences betwixt the countries.
Trump, whose delegation for the travel included the CEOs of Mastercard and Visa, said helium besides raised with Xi expanding entree to the China marketplace for the U.S.-based recognition paper companies.
“I said, ‘What astir utilizing Visa successful China?’" Trump said. "For immoderate crushed they were blackballed and possibly that’ll travel off.”
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Mistreanu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu and Darlene Superville and Josh Boak successful Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
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