Donald Trump, US President and Xi Jinping the Chinese President opened high stakes talks in Beijing on Thursday with warm words, public praise and promises of closer cooperation, even as deep divisions remained over Taiwan, tariffs, technology and global security.
Trump arrived in the Chinese capital for his first visit to China since 2017, receiving a grand state welcome at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, complete with an honour guard and children waving Chinese and American flags. In Chinese diplomacy, such pageantry is often seen as a sign of political importance and respect.
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The meeting between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies lasted more than two hours and focused on trade, oil supplies, the Iran war and growing tensions over technology and export controls, according to reports from the White House and Chinese officials.
Xi described relations between Beijing and Washington as “the world’s most important bilateral relationship” and said recent trade negotiations between officials from both countries in South Korea had produced “balanced and positive outcomes.”
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But the Chinese leader also delivered a direct warning on Taiwan, the self governed island claimed by Beijing that remains one of the most sensitive issues in US China relations.
“Taiwan is the most important issue in China US relations,” Xi reportedly told Trump during closed door discussions, warning that the matter could push both countries towards “a highly perilous situation” and even conflict.
The comments highlighted the fragile nature of ties between the two powers despite the positive public mood surrounding the summit.
Trump, speaking at the start of the meeting and later during a state banquet hosted by Xi, struck a notably optimistic tone.
“There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever,” Trump said, praising earlier talks between American and Chinese officials as “extremely positive.”
The White House later described the discussions as “highly productive,” while Trump said the two countries could have “a fantastic future together.”
The US president also invited Xi and China’s first lady, Peng Liyuan, to visit the White House on September 24.
Despite the diplomatic warmth, major disagreements remain unresolved.
Washington and Beijing are still divided over tariffs, export controls and restrictions on rare earth exports, which have become a major issue for global manufacturing and technology industries. The talks were aimed partly at preserving a fragile trade truce reached during the leaders’ last meeting in October, when Trump suspended steep tariffs on Chinese imports and China stepped back from threatening global supplies of critical rare earth minerals.
The White House said both countries agreed to create a new “Board of Trade” designed to improve future economic ties, although US officials cautioned that the mechanism is still far from operational.
China also signalled interest in increasing purchases of American agricultural products and energy supplies, though neither side announced specific agreements or timelines.
The summit comes at a tense moment in global politics, with competition between Washington and Beijing intensifying over trade, advanced technology, military influence in Asia and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Even so, both governments appeared eager to project stability and cooperation during Trump’s visit, seeking to prevent tensions from spiralling further between the world’s two most powerful economies.
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