BEIJING — Behind the fanfare and public pleasantries between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thursday’s bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People centered on two issues causing significant friction between the U.S. and China: Taiwan and the Iran war.
Trump opened the meeting with a warm portrayal of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi’s leadership, telling him, “It’s an honor to be your friend.” But Xi struck a more serious tone as the meeting went on, with China issuing a sharp warning to the U.S. on Taiwan, according to a readout from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Xi “stressed” the Taiwan question as the most important issue in U.S.-China relations, according to the readout. “If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a post on X.
While visiting the Temple of Heaven with Xi after bilateral talks, Trump repeatedly ignored questions from the press on whether he discussed Taiwan with the Chinese president, at one point saying instead that China is “beautiful” and hasn’t posted about the discussions on Truth Social as he typically does after meeting with a foreign leader.
The White House did not respond to MS NOW on whether Trump responded to Xi’s concerns about Taiwan during the meeting.
China rebukes U.S. militarization of Strait of Hormuz
Trump and Xi both agreed the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to allow oil and energy to flow through without disruption, according to the White House’s readout. During the meeting, Xi also expressed China’s opposition to U.S. militarization of the strait and efforts to charge a toll for its use, the readout added.
The U.S. sent additional military assets to the region in early May as Trump launched an operation to free the hundreds of ships stranded in the Gulf. It has since been temporarily suspended as the U.S. pursues diplomatic negotiations with Iran.
The White House said Xi expressed interest in purchasing American oil, as the country has largely relied on Iranian imports — an act that has long drawn Trump’s ire. The two presidents also agreed that Iran “can never” have a nuclear weapon, the White House readout said, an ultimatum which Trump has said outweighs the economic pains Americans are feeling at home.
The Chinese readout made no mention of Iran, aside from stating that the two parties discussed “international and regional issues, such as the Middle East situation.”
Questions loom for the U.S. economy
As the war’s economic fallout wreaks havoc at home, with gas and grocery prices surging, and the midterms less than six months away, it’s unclear what the U.S. has immediately come away with economically after meeting with Xi, though the White House has aimed to secure economic wins this trip.
“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” according to the White House readout.
Trump said earlier this week that Americans’ pocketbooks aren’t motivating him to strike a deal with Iran any faster. “Not even a little bit,” he told reporters on Tuesday as he left the White House to head to Beijing.
“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody,” Trump added.
The CEOs of major technology companies had the opportunity to present themselves to Xi during the meeting Thursday at Trump’s request, such as Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk.
“President Xi pointed out that U.S. businesses are deeply involved in China’s reform and opening up to the benefit of both sides,” Mao wrote on X. “China will only open its door wider. China welcomes more mutually beneficial cooperation from the U.S. He believes that American businesses will enjoy broader prospects in China.”
Xi made note that U.S. and China economic trade ties are “mutually beneficial and win-win in nature,” touting “balanced and positive outcomes” produced by the two countries’ economic and trade teams on Wednesday, according to Mao.
Any tension that seemed to arise at the meeting Thursday wasn’t apparent at the state banquet hours later, where Trump raised a toast to Xi and extended a reciprocal invitation for the Chinese president and first lady, Peng Liyuan, to visit the White House on Sept. 24.
The two leaders will meet again Friday, as they have tea and participate in a working lunch before Trump departs Beijing.
Lindsey Pipia contributed to this report.
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