Trump and Xi Hold Talks in Beijing as Taiwan, Trade and Iran Loom

President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Thursday for the first day of a two-day summit, the first visit to China by a U.S. president since Trump’s own in 2017. Al Jazeera reported that the meeting had been delayed earlier this year by the war with Iran, and that trade was expected to be the main focus, along with Iran, Taiwan and technology.

The two leaders talked for about two and a half hours before a state banquet, according to a White House readout carried by Fox News. At the banquet, Trump called the U.S.-China connection “one of the most consequential relationships in world history.” During the opening talks he had said of Xi, “We’ve had a fantastic relationship. We’ve gotten along.” Fox News reported that Trump invited Xi to the White House on Sept. 24.

Business leaders were part of the show. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Apple chief executive Tim Cook joined a meeting between Premier Li Qiang and American executives at the Great Hall of the People, and Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg traveled with Trump, according to Fox News. More than a dozen top executives accompanied the president.

Trump said Xi agreed to order 200 Boeing jets, more than the 150 Boeing had been seeking, Fox News reported; that is Trump’s claim. Al Jazeera later reported that China’s post-summit statement did not mention the purchase. The White House said the leaders discussed China buying U.S. oil; Fox noted that China stopped buying American oil in May 2025 after a 20 percent tariff was imposed. Washington has also been pressing China to buy more beef and soybeans and to restore rare earth shipments, while Beijing wants eased limits on advanced chips, Al Jazeera reported. China controls roughly 90 percent of global rare earth refining. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera expected a limited agreement, such as tariff pauses or purchase commitments, rather than a comprehensive deal.

Taiwan was the sharpest topic. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Xi warned that mishandling the issue could bring “clashes and even conflicts,” according to Fox News. A senior White House official said both sides restated long-held positions, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said U.S. policy is unchanged. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump for not responding more forcefully. Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is committed to supporting the island’s self-defense, and Washington has approved tens of billions of dollars in arms sales, including an $11 billion package announced last year, Al Jazeera reported.

On Iran, Trump told Fox’s Sean Hannity that Xi agreed not to send military equipment to Tehran and acknowledged that China buys oil from Iran; Trump also relayed that Xi had offered help on the Strait of Hormuz. These are Trump’s accounts and Beijing had not confirmed them. China buys more than 80 percent of Iran’s shipped crude exports, according to Al Jazeera, which reported that Washington has urged China to help reopen and secure the strait.

The political backdrop is domestic. Al Jazeera noted that Trump wants economic wins to show voters before November’s midterm elections, while Xi seeks stability and recognition of China as a global power. Tariffs on some Chinese goods reached above 100 percent at the height of last year’s dispute before a truce eased them. Trump also planned to raise the case of Hong Kong media figure Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced earlier this year under the national security law.