Beijing, May 15, (dpa/GNA) – As US President Donald Trump departed from China on Friday, following several days of talks with President Xi Jinping, little news has emerged of any major agreements struck between the world’s two major superpowers.
Trump’s highly anticipated and closely watched visit to Beijing, his first since 2017, was accompanied by pomp and circumstance in the Chinese capital.
The two leaders met repeatedly for bilateral talks. Relations between Washington and Beijing have been tense, strained by reciprocal tariffs, Chinese support for Iran and the status of Taiwan.
Ahead of the visit, Trump, who was accompanied on the trip by a business delegation that included Tesla’s Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg, had vowed to press Xi to “open up” China to US businesses. However, little progress had been announced in that area by the time Trump set off aboard Air Force One on Friday.
According to Washington, the two countries reached agreements on the economy and in the aircraft and agricultural sectors. Trump told US broadcaster Fox News that China had agreed to buy 200 Boeing aircraft. However, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not confirm that figure when asked, merely stressing that mutual benefit was the essence of the trade relationship between the two countries.
There was no specific information on the status of any further agreements, but Trump said he had struck “fantastic trade deals.”
On Taiwan, Xi appeared keen to foreground the issue of Taiwan during Trump’s visit, warning the US that if the affair were handled poorly, it could place US-China relations in a “very dangerous situation.” Taiwan has had a separate government since 1949. Beijing, however, considers the island as its territory and has threatened to take it by force if it makes any formal moves towards independence.
The US, which continues to provide military support to Taipei despite Beijing’s objections, is considered Taiwan’s most important backer. The White House did not immediately respond to Xi’s warning, but Trump took a cautious approach when talking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route back to the US. Confirming that the two leaders had talked about US arm sales to Taiwan “in great detail,” he said “I’ll make a determination over the next fairly short period” on the issue. “I have to speak to the person that right now is running Taiwan,” Trump added.
US Congress granted preliminary authorization to another tranche of arms sales to Taiwan worth $14 billion in January 2025. However, so far Congress has not been informed that the US government has approved the sales, according to statements by senators earlier this week.No progress on Strait of Hormuz?The war in Iran also featured in the talks, with Washington hoping China can be persuaded to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, as Beijing is the largest buyer of Iranian oil. Trump said Beijing had made an offer of help to end the war, without specifying what that would look like.
According to the White House, both sides agreed that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be kept open for energy deliveries. Xi rejected a militarization of the strait as well as the tolls that Iran has been imposing on transiting vessels, according to Washington. The Chinese leader reportedly also expressed interest in purchasing more US oil.
China, however, did not confirm the US claims, including that it was looking to buy US oil, but only renewed its call for a lasting ceasefire in Iran. If Xi accepts Trump’s invitation for a return visit, there will be a meeting at the White House in the US capital on September 24.
GNA