U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to conclude a high-stakes two-day summit in Beijing today amid renewed tensions over Taiwan, despite both sides projecting optimism over trade ties and economic cooperation.
The talks, marked by ceremonial pageantry and a series of commercial announcements, were dominated by Xi’s stern warning that any mismanagement of the Taiwan issue could seriously destabilise relations between the world’s two largest economies.
Reuters, on Friday, cited China’s foreign ministry said the remarks were made during a closed-door meeting lasting more than two hours, underscoring the sensitivity of an issue that remains the most dangerous flashpoint in Sino-American relations.
Taiwan, the self-governed island claimed by Beijing, lies just 50 miles off China’s coastline. China has repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force to bring the island under its control, while the United States is legally committed to supporting Taipei’s self-defence capabilities.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Taiwan featured prominently in discussions.
“The Chinese always raise it ... we always make clear our position and we move on to the other topics,” Rubio told NBC News.
“U.S. policy on the issue of Taiwan is unchanged as of today,” he added.
Trump declined to answer shouted questions from reporters about whether Taiwan had been discussed as he appeared alongside Xi at Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Despite the diplomatic friction, both leaders sought to project confidence in the broader relationship.
“There are those who say this may be the biggest summit ever,” Trump said earlier at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People following an elaborate state ceremony featuring an honour guard and children waving flowers and national flags.
At a lavish state banquet, Xi described China-U.S. ties as the world’s most important bilateral relationship.
“We must make it work and never mess it up,” the Chinese leader said.
Trump, writing on his Truth Social platform before the final day of meetings, struck a similarly upbeat tone.
“Hopefully our relationship with China will be stronger and better than ever before!” he wrote.
The summit was also aimed at preserving a fragile trade truce agreed during the leaders’ previous meeting in October, when Trump suspended triple-digit tariffs on Chinese imports and Beijing stepped back from restricting exports of strategically vital rare earth materials.
Chinese officials said preparatory negotiations between trade teams on Wednesday had achieved “balanced and positive outcomes”.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the American delegation in those negotiations, said further progress was expected on mechanisms designed to support future bilateral trade and investment.
Trump also revealed that China had agreed to purchase 200 Boeing aircraft, marking Beijing’s first major order of American-made commercial jets in almost a decade.
However, the announcement disappointed investors after earlier reports suggested Boeing could secure orders exceeding 500 aircraft. Shares in the U.S. aerospace giant fell more than four per cent following Trump’s remarks.
The U.S. president arrived in Beijing seeking diplomatic and economic gains that could strengthen his domestic standing ahead of key midterm elections, but he faces mounting political pressure at home.
Recent court rulings have limited his ability to impose tariffs unilaterally, while rising energy prices linked to the Iran conflict have increased economic concerns among American voters.
A White House summary of Thursday’s discussions said both leaders shared a desire to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the strategically vital waterway off Iran through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass.
The summary also indicated that Xi had expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s reliance on Middle Eastern energy sources.
Trump is also believed to have pressed Beijing to encourage Iran to reach an agreement with Washington aimed at ending a conflict that has proved increasingly unpopular among the American electorate.
Meanwhile, the case of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai also surfaced during discussions.
Rubio said Trump had personally raised Lai’s imprisonment with Xi.
“The president always raises that case and a couple others, and obviously we’ll hope to get a positive response from that,” Rubio said.
“We’d be open to any arrangement that would work for them, as long as he’s given his freedom,” he added.
Lai was sentenced in February to 20 years’ imprisonment on charges including conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious materials, all of which he denied.
China has consistently maintained that Hong Kong affairs are an internal matter and has rejected foreign criticism over the case. - May 15, 2026
