United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held high-level talks in Beijing on Thursday as both countries sought to stabilise relations shaped by trade disputes, technology restrictions and tensions surrounding Taiwan.
The meeting at the Great Hall of the People lasted about two hours and marked the centrepiece of Trump’s two-day visit to China. Senior US officials and leading American business executives joined the delegation as both governments explored new trade agreements, investment cooperation and wider geopolitical concerns.
During the talks, Chinese officials said Xi warned that Taiwan remained the most sensitive issue in relations between Beijing and Washington. According to China’s official account of the meeting, Xi said the matter must be handled “with the utmost caution,” warning that any mismanagement could lead to “clashing, conflict, a dangerous situation.”
Xi also stressed the importance of maintaining stable ties between the world’s two largest economies.
“The common interest between China and the United States outweigh our differences, and each country’s success represents an opportunity for the other,” Xi said.
“A stable China-US relationship benefits the entire world. When we cooperate, both sides benefit. When we confront each other, both sides suffer,” he added.
The White House summary of the talks did not directly mention Taiwan, though Chinese officials later indicated Beijing wanted to make its concerns clear amid fears of future policy changes by Washington regarding the island.
China continues to view Taiwan as part of its territory under the “One China” principle, while the United States maintains unofficial relations with Taipei and continues supplying military equipment to the self-governed island.
Trump described his relationship with Xi as strong and longstanding, praising their personal ties during the meeting.
“You and I have known each other now for a long time,” Trump said. “We’ve had a fantastic relationship. Whenever we had a problem, we worked that out very quickly.”
“We’re going to have a fantastic future together,” he added.
Following the talks, Trump toured Beijing’s historic Temple of Heaven alongside Xi, later describing the visit as “great” and calling China “beautiful.”
The summit also focused heavily on economic cooperation. Trump’s delegation included major American business figures such as Apple chief executive Tim Cook, Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon and Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg.
Xi later met with the executives and promised broader access to Chinese markets for foreign firms.
“China’s doors to the outside world will open wider and wider,” Xi reportedly told business leaders.
Discussions between the two governments reportedly included possible mechanisms to manage future trade disputes and encourage bilateral investment, while Washington also pushed for larger Chinese purchases of US agricultural products and aircraft.
The leaders also exchanged views on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who travelled with Trump despite remaining under Chinese sanctions imposed in 2020, said Washington would encourage Beijing to play a greater role in efforts to end the ongoing conflict involving Iran.
Trump is expected to attend a state banquet before departing Beijing on Friday after a final private meeting with Xi Jinping.
