BEIJING — Behind the fanfare and public pleasantries between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Thursday’s bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People centered on two issues causing significant friction between the U.S. and China: Taiwan and the Iran war.
Trump opened the meeting with a warm portrayal of U.S.-China relations and praised Xi’s leadership, telling him, “It’s an honor to be your friend.” But Xi struck a more serious tone as the meeting went on, with China issuing a sharp warning to the U.S. on Taiwan, according to a readout from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Xi “stressed” the Taiwan question as the most important issue in U.S.-China relations, according to the readout. “If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in a post on X.
Some U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern that the country’s longstanding support of Taiwan has wavered under Trump. Senate Democrats sent a letter last week ahead of Trump’s visit to China, urging him to move forward with a delayed $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, which Congress approved in January. “American support for Taiwan is not up for negotiation,” eight Democratic senators wrote in their letter.
While visiting the Temple of Heaven with Xi after bilateral talks, Trump repeatedly ignored questions from the press about whether he discussed Taiwan with the Chinese president, at one point saying instead that China is “beautiful,” and he hasn’t posted about the discussions on Truth Social as he typically does after meeting with a foreign leader.
The White House did not respond to MS NOW on whether Trump reacted to Xi’s concerns about Taiwan during the meeting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News in an interview that aired Thursday that U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains “unchanged” since Trump’s meeting with Xi. He added that it would be “a terrible mistake” if China attempted to take Taiwan by force.
China rebukes U.S. militarization of Strait of Hormuz
Trump and Xi both agreed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to allow oil and energy to flow through without disruption, according to the White House’s readout. During the meeting, Xi also expressed China’s opposition to U.S. militarization of the strait and efforts to charge a toll for its use, the readout added.
The U.S. sent additional military assets to the region in early May as Trump launched an operation to free the hundreds of ships stranded in the Persian Gulf. The operation has since been temporarily suspended as the U.S. pursues diplomatic negotiations with Iran.
The White House said Xi expressed interest in purchasing American oil, as the country has largely relied on Iranian imports — an act that has long drawn Trump’s ire. The two presidents also agreed that Iran “can never” have a nuclear weapon, the White House readout said, an ultimatum that Trump has said outweighs the economic pain Americans are feeling at home.
The Chinese readout made no mention of Iran, aside from stating that the two parties discussed “international and regional issues, such as the Middle East situation.”
Questions loom for the U.S. economy
As the war’s economic fallout wreaks havoc at home, with gas and grocery prices surging and the midterms less than six months away, it’s unclear what the U.S. has immediately come away with economically after the meeting, though the White House has aimed to secure economic wins on this trip.
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“The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” according to the White House readout.
Trump said earlier this week that Americans’ pocketbooks aren’t motivating him to strike a deal with Iran any faster. “Not even a little bit,” he told reporters on Tuesday as he left the White House to head to Beijing.
“The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran: They can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all.”
The CEOs of major technology companies had the opportunity to present themselves to Xi during the meeting Thursday at Trump’s request, including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook and Tesla’s Elon Musk.
“President Xi pointed out that U.S. businesses are deeply involved in China’s reform and opening up to the benefit of both sides,” Mao wrote on X. “China will only open its door wider. China welcomes more mutually beneficial cooperation from the U.S. He believes that American businesses will enjoy broader prospects in China.”
Xi made note that American and Chinese economic trade ties are “mutually beneficial and win-win in nature,” touting “balanced and positive outcomes” produced by the two countries’ economic and trade teams on Wednesday, according to Mao.
Any tension that seemed to arise at the meeting Thursday wasn’t apparent at the state banquet hours later, where Trump raised a toast to Xi and extended a reciprocal invitation for the Chinese president and first lady, Peng Liyuan, to visit the White House on Sept. 24.
The two leaders will meet again Friday, as they have tea and participate in a working lunch before Trump departs Beijing.
Lindsey Pipia contributed to this report.
Emily Hung is an associate White House producer for MS NOW.
Laura Barrón-López covers the White House for MS NOW.