- Leaders Trump, Xi concluded trade talks, discussing Taiwan and diplomatic symbolism.
- Trade truce preserved with agreements on farm products and Boeing jets.
- Taiwan remained sensitive topic, with China warning against mishandling relations.
- Jailed tycoon Jimmy Lai’s case was raised by President Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to conclude a two-day state visit on Friday, bringing an end to talks dominated by trade negotiations, diplomatic symbolism and renewed tensions over Taiwan.
The visit, Trump’s first to China since his 2017 trip, comes at a politically sensitive moment for the U.S. president, who is seeking concrete foreign policy wins ahead of key midterm elections amid falling approval ratings.
While both sides projected optimism about stabilising ties, Xi also issued a pointed warning that mishandling the Taiwan issue could severely damage relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet for tea and lunch before the U.S. president departs for Washington. Early on Friday, Trump struck an upbeat tone in a post on Truth Social, writing: “Hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!”
Trade Truce Holds as Both Sides Signal Progress
A major focus of the summit has been preserving the fragile trade truce agreed upon during the leaders’ previous meeting in October.
At the time, Trump suspended steep tariffs on Chinese imports, while Xi stepped back from measures that could have disrupted global supplies of critical rare earth materials. The agreement helped cool tensions after months of economic uncertainty between the two nations.
Speaking on Thursday, Xi said negotiations had produced “balanced and positive outcomes”, though he stopped short of providing specific details on the agreements reached during the latest round of discussions.
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Boeing Deal and Farm Purchases Emerge as Key Outcomes
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said on Friday that both countries had made progress on several commercial agreements, although it remains unclear whether the current trade truce will be extended once it expires later this year.
Greer told Bloomberg TV that China had firmed up plans to purchase American farm products, beef and Boeing aircraft. He also said the two countries were working on mechanisms to better manage future bilateral trade relations.
According to Trump, China has agreed to order 200 Boeing commercial jets, marking its first purchase of U.S.-made passenger aircraft in nearly a decade. The deal could provide a major boost to Boeing at a time when the aerospace giant has been seeking to revive international demand.
Taiwan Issue Casts Shadow Over Diplomatic Optics
Despite the positive messaging around trade, Taiwan remained a sensitive topic throughout the summit.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accompanied Trump on the trip, acknowledged that Chinese officials repeatedly raised the issue during discussions. Rubio stressed that Washington’s policy towards Taiwan had not changed.
“The Chinese always raise it … we always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics,” Rubio told NBC News.
Trump declined to answer shouted questions from reporters about whether Taiwan had been discussed while posing with Xi at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO World Heritage site that served as a backdrop for part of the visit.
At Thursday evening’s lavish state banquet, Xi described the China-U.S. relationship as the most important bilateral relationship in the world and warned against allowing tensions to spiral.
“We must make it work and never mess it up,” the Chinese leader said.
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Jimmy Lai Case Raised During Talks
The issue of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai also surfaced during the visit.
Rubio said Trump personally raised Lai’s case with Xi. Lai, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent critics of Beijing, was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison on charges including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious material.
“The president always raises that case and a couple others, and obviously we’ll hope to get a positive response from that,” Rubio said in an interview with NBC News.
China has consistently rejected foreign criticism over the matter. A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry previously said Hong Kong affairs are an internal issue for China.
