Trump, Xi wrap up summit claiming progress stabilizing US-China relations but differences persist

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump says he’s not yet made a determination connected whether a large U.S. merchantability of arms to Taiwan tin determination forward, pursuing his three-day sojourn to China.

Speaking to reporters arsenic helium flew backmost connected Air Force One connected Friday, Trump said he’d not decided connected the sale, but added, “I volition marque a determination.”

Trump's Republican medication has authorized the merchantability but it has yet to determination forward. China opposes the woody and has suggested that Washington’s narration with the self-governing land is the cardinal origin successful China-U.S. relations.

Trump and Xi Jinping wrapped up captious talks connected Friday, claiming important advancement successful stabilizing U.S.-China relations adjacent arsenic heavy differences persist betwixt the world’s 2 biggest powers connected Iran, Taiwan and more.

Xi welcomed Trump astatine his authoritative residence, Zhongnanhai, connected Friday for their last engagement of the acme earlier the U.S. leader’s instrumentality to Washington. The leaders took a abbreviated locomotion done the grounds that diagnostic past trees and Chinese roses, and strolled done a covered passageway with greenish columns and archways painted with birds and accepted Chinese upland scenes.

Over beverage and lunch, Trump and Xi — with apical aides and translators successful tow — huddled for astir 3 hours of talks earlier the U.S. person completed his three-day sojourn to China.

“It’s been truly a large mates of days,” Trump told reporters.

Xi, for his part, called it a “milestone” visit. “We person established a caller bilateral relationship, oregon alternatively a constructive, strategic, unchangeable relationship,” helium said.

But the optimistic outlook 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. In caller weeks, the U.S. State Department has accused Chinese firms of providing outer imagery to the Iranian authorities and the Treasury Department has moved to people Chinese lipid refineries accused of buying lipid from Tehran, arsenic good arsenic shippers of the oil.

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 appeared impressed by the bucolic grounds, remarking the roses were the astir beauteous helium had ever seen. Xi promised to nonstop him immoderate roseate seeds.

The compound is wrapped astir 2 artificial 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 appeared 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.”

The Chinese authorities besides bid farewell to Trump with large pomp.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi saw a smiling Trump disconnected astatine the airport. And schoolchildren dressed successful Air Force One's airy bluish and achromatic colors waved American and Chinese flags successful a coordinated question arsenic the U.S. president arrived to committee the plane.

Taiwan remains the astir important contented for China

Xi's crisp connection connected Taiwan loomed ample implicit the visit, with Chinese authorities officials amplifying that differences connected the self-ruled land airs the biggest hazard to U.S.-Chinese relations.

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 astatine moments has shown ambivalence toward Taiwan, raising speculation that helium could beryllium unfastened to loosening ties with Taipei.

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.

China wants the Strait of Hormuz opened

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 About 20% of the world’s lipid flowed done the strait earlier the warfare started connected Feb. 28.

“We consciousness precise akin astir (how) we privation it to end,” the president said with Xi astatine this side. “We don’t privation them to person a atomic weapon.”

White House officials accidental Xi was besides opposed to immoderate implementation of tolls connected vessels crossing the strait and expressed involvement successful China perchance purchasing 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.

Trump says immoderate “fantastic commercialized deals” had been struck during the visit, but did not connection further details

The U.S. broadside had been 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.

___

Mistreanu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writers Huizhong Wu successful Bangkok, 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.