U.S. President Donald Trump wrapped up a three-day, two-night state visit to China and set out to return home on the afternoon of the 15th (local time). Over two days, Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping six times and kept up a close-engagement schedule, but he ended the trip without clear agreements on issues at the heart of the countries' friction, including Taiwan, semiconductors, rare earths, and artificial intelligence (AI). There was some progress toward stabilizing relations, but observers said there was no "big deal" as expected.
Trump and Xi shared six events from the welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 14th-15th to a summit, a tour of the Temple of Heaven (Tiantan), a dinner, a tea meeting at Zhongnanhai, and a lunch. Trump's visit to China was his first in about nine years since his first term in 2017, and it had been six months since the two sat across the negotiating table after meeting in Busan on Oct. 30 last year. This summit ran 135 minutes, 35 minutes longer than in Busan.
With the United States under pressure to end the Iran war, the Taiwan issue emerged as the most sensitive matter between the two countries, and with a host of trade issues piled up, including semiconductors, rare earths, AI, and tariff matters, there were expectations that the summit would ease tensions and produce some breakthroughs.
◇ The "big deal" is missing… only the gap on Taiwan reaffirmed
But there were no announced negotiation results that drew notice in core areas. There was no joint statement, agreement, or joint news conference. While key U.S. corporate executives such as Jensen Huang, Nvidia chief executive officer (CEO), and Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, met Xi and found common ground on the need to strengthen cooperation, core flashpoints such as U.S. export controls on advanced semiconductors, China's rare earth export controls, and strategic competition in AI remain on parallel tracks.
Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), said, "Export controls on semiconductors were not a major topic," and, regarding supplies of Nvidia's H200 chips, drew a line by saying, "Whether to purchase is China's decision." On China's rare earth export controls, Greer said, "We are trying to manage differences rather than amplify the problem," adding, "In the past few weeks, there have been instances of China-origin yttrium (a type of rare earth) being shipped to the United States."
The two sides only reaffirmed their differences on Taiwan, the top focus of the talks. China released an unusually tough message during the meeting. Xi told Trump, "If the Taiwan issue is not handled well, the two countries will head toward confrontation, and even conflict, pushing the entirety of China-U.S. relations into a very dangerous situation," effectively issuing a warning.
The Washington Post (WP), citing an unnamed White House official, reported that "Trump showed no reaction to the remark and immediately moved on to the next topic." Trump did not answer related questions from reporters after the summit. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a media interview the previous day that U.S. policy on Taiwan "remains unchanged," adding, "Forcibly changing the status quo would harm both countries."
Bloomberg said, "The two leaders spoke publicly about cooperation and prosperity, but there was a clear message beneath the surface: cooperation is always possible, but if a red line is crossed, confrontation is also on the table."
Katherine Tai, who served as U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under the Joe Biden administration, told Bloomberg, "This summit is rich in symbolism but appears thin on substance." Tai said, "It is deeply concerning that there is no clear set of principles guiding the relationship," adding, "In particular, as China further strengthens its manufacturing edge, there is a possibility of a so-called 'second China shock' to U.S. jobs and industry."
◇ One voice on opening Hormuz… results on U.S. beef, oil, Boeing, and more
Some negotiation results were disclosed. According to a White House announcement and U.S. media interviews, first, the two leaders spoke with one voice on ending the Iran war and opening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said he received from Xi an expression of intent to provide maximum support for reopening the strait, and China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement in the morning calling for opening Hormuz. The two leaders also agreed that nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable. China is said to have shown interest in expanding purchases of U.S. oil to reduce dependence on Iran over the long term.
China also resumed approvals for hundreds of U.S. beef slaughterhouses, and plans to make large-scale purchases of U.S. agricultural products, the U.S. side said. A plan for China to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft was also reported. However, that falls short of expectations that the original contract for 500 planes would be sealed.
The two countries are also said to have discussed ways to cut tariffs. Starting with $30 billion (about 44.769 trillion won) in tariff reductions in non-core areas, they will push for tariff cuts on some trade items and discuss plans to establish an investment committee to fast-track China's investment transactions in the United States. Talks on AI safety norms are also set to begin.
◇ For now, conflict averted… progress on stabilizing ties
Still, there is assessment that the meeting was meaningful in that it brought worsening U.S.-China relations back to a manageable level for now. Strategic competition in key industrial sectors will continue, but the risk of clashes has been reduced to some degree.
The two leaders agreed to build a "constructive, strategically stable relationship" and delivered friendly messages about each other in public. Trump called Xi a "great leader" and a "friend," and said he would officially invite Xi to the White House on Sept. 24. Xi praised Trump's visit to China as "historic and symbolic," and, directly invoking Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan, emphasized that "the two countries should become partners."
Some Western media said the summit was meaningful in terms of stabilizing U.S.-China relations. Ben Kostrzewa, a trade attorney and former U.S. trade official, told Bloomberg, "There was plenty of pomp, but the situation itself has not changed dramatically. Still, such pomp matters," adding, "Especially when you look back at the early days of the Trump presidency. Now we can see both sides moving together to solve shared problems while also pursuing shared interests." Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, also told WP, "If this summit can serve as a stepping stone for the future, that alone will be enough."