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Trump did not respond to a reporter’s question on Taiwan while standing next to Xi in Beijing.
A U.S. readout of the bilateral talks, which did not mention Taiwan, saidTrump and Xi had “a good meeting” centered on enhancing economic cooperation between the two countries.
The two sides also agreed that the Strait of Hormuz, a central choke point in the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, must remain open and free of tolls, said the U.S. readout, which was shared by a White House official.
Xi additionally expressed interest in buying more U.S. oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait of Hormuz in the future, the official said. The two presidents also discussed increasing Chinese purchases of U.S. agricultural products, per the readout.
“Leaders from many of the United States’ largest companies joined a portion of the meeting,” the readout said. Trump brought a group of business leaders with him on the trip.
At a state banquet held in Trump’s honor, the leaders praised the “historic” visit and vowed to jointly deepen and promote the U.S. and China’s relationship.
Following an “in-depth exchange of views,” Xi said both leaders believed that Chinese-U.S. relations were “the most important bilateral ties in the world” and that the countries should be partners rather than rivals, in comments translated by Reuters. Xi added that “mutual respect” was key to stable ties.
In his speech, Trump described Xi as a “friend” andsaid the relationship was one of the most consequential in world history. Both countries, he added, had an opportunity to “create a future of greater prosperity, cooperation and happiness.”
He said the leaders had held “extremely positive and constructive discussions” earlier in the day and invited the Chinese president to visit the U.S. on Sept. 24. The two leaders could also meet at APEC and G20 events in China and the U.S. late in the year.
‘Thucydides Trap’
Earlier Thursday,Trump told Xi that the relationship between the two countries was going to be “better than ever before,” according to official broadcast footage. Trump, who also visited China in 2017 in his first term, said the two leaders have known each other personally for longer than any other U.S. or Chinese president.
Speaking just ahead of Trump, Xi noted the global attention on the meeting, andsaid a major question for the two countries was whether they could avoid the “Thucydides Trap,” according to an official English translation of his remarks broadcast by CCTV.
The Thucydides Trap refers to how tensions historically between a rising and ruling power have often resulted in a war. Graham Allison, the Harvard professor who popularized the concept, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” that he expects the trade truce Trump and Xi reached at their meeting in South Korea last fall will become a formal agreement.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/14/trump-xi-beijing-summit-trade-taiwan-ai-iran-rare-earths-tariffs.html