Beijing, China. President Donald Trump left China on Friday without major breakthroughs on trade or meaningful progress on ending the Gulf war, following two days of ceremonies and praise for President Xi Jinping.
The visit, billed as a chance to deliver tangible results ahead of midterm elections as Trump’s approval ratings faced pressure, produced limited outcomes, and Chinese stocks fell after the summit.
Iran and the Gulf war
Xi offered no specific commitment on Iran. Before the leaders met for tea on Friday, China’s foreign ministry said the conflict “should never have happened” and “has no reason to continue,” and expressed support for a peace deal without pledging action.
At their final meeting, Trump said the two leaders had discussed Iran and felt “very similar,” though Xi did not comment publicly.
Patricia Kim, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution, said there was no Chinese commitment to do anything specific regarding Iran. Trump had been expected to press Xi to use Beijing’s leverage with Tehran to advance a settlement, while analysts have questioned whether Xi would push Iran hard or curtail military support.
Trade talks and market reaction
On trade, US officials said both sides agreed deals on farm goods and made progress on mechanisms to manage future commercial ties, with each expected to identify $30 billion of non-sensitive goods for exchange. Details were limited, and there was no sign of a breakthrough on sales of Nvidia’s advanced H200 AI chips to China, despite Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joining the US delegation at the last minute.
Trump told Fox News that China agreed to order 200 Boeing jets, its first purchase of US-made commercial aircraft in nearly a decade, but the figure was below the roughly 500 markets had anticipated. Boeing shares fell more than 4%.
Rare earths dispute and truce uncertainty
Trump left without a resolution to a rare earths supply dispute that intensified after Beijing imposed export controls in response to Trump’s April 2025 tariffs. Chinese state media did not mention the issue during summit coverage.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV on Friday that it had not been decided whether to extend a truce struck last October beyond its expiry later this year. Kim said such an extension would be “the most basic benchmark” for the summit’s success.
Taiwan warning and US policy
Xi warned that mishandling Taiwan could spiral into conflict. Taiwan, governed democratically and claimed by Beijing, lies about 80 kilometres off China’s coast and has long been a flashpoint.
Trump declined to comment on the exchange. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News that US policy on Taiwan was “unchanged as of today.” Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked Washington for reaffirming its support.
What outcome from the summit do you consider most significant for US-China relations?