US President Donald Trump is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 13-15, 2026, a summit that is remarkable and has drawn attention amid global political tensions. It marks the first visit in 9 years, since 2017, when Trump visited China.
Trump was not alone and was accompanied by the US Delegations, spanning agriculture, aviation, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence (AI) chips, as follows:
Elon Musk (CEO Tesla & SpaceX), Tim Cook (Apple), Jensen Huang (CEO Nvidia), Larry Fink (CEO BlackRock), Kelly Ortberg (CEO Boeing), Stephen Schwarzman (CEO Blackstone), Cristiano Amon (CEO Qualcomm), Sanjay Mehrotra (CEO Micron Technology), Jane Fraser (CEO Citigroup), David Solomon (CEO Goldman Sachs), Michael Miebach (CEO Mastercard), Ryan McLnerney (CEO Visa), Brian Sikes (CEO Cargill), Larry Culp (CEO GE Aerospace), Jim Anderson (CEO Coherent), Jacob Thaysen (CEO Illumina), and Dina Powell McCormick (President Meta).
Trade and Business Deals
Trump said that the meeting was very successful, while Xi called it a “historic and landmark” visit, but no formal deals were confirmed and announced.
Trump said that multiple agreements had been made between the US and China, which involve China purchasing 200 Boeing airplanes, as well as US oil and soybeans. Neither China nor Boeing has verified this deal.
Trump also mentioned that he and Xi talked about Iran, with the president asserting that they concurred on the notion that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons and that the Strait of Hormuz needs to be reopened as soon as possible.
The foreign ministry spokesperson for China, Guo Jiakun, did not directly address any of Trump’s comments, saying instead that the “essence of China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win co-operation”. He also emphasized the “important consensus” reached by the two leaders, bringing greater stability to bilateral trade ties and the global economy.
There are ongoing questions about the trade agreement reached in October, when the U.S. halted significant tariff hikes on Chinese products while China relaxed its limitations on rare earth exports essential for manufacturing.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was with Trump in China, told Bloomberg TV on Friday that a decision had yet to be made on whether to extend the truce beyond November.
U.S. officials have warned, however, that considerable effort remains before these announcements can be enforced.
Taiwan Concern
During their meeting, Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the “most important issue” in the US-China relationship. He warned that mishandling this situation could lead to “clashes and even conflicts” between the two countries. Beijing opposes Washington’s ongoing military support for Taiwan and has urged the US to adopt a clearer stance on Taiwan’s political status.
Even though the US does not recognize the administration in Taipei, it maintains an intentionally ambiguous stance on China’s territorial claims. Despite the debate, neither the Chinese nor the US statements indicated whether Trump addressed Taiwan or the prospects for arms sales, implying that he either held a different view from Xi or chose to steer clear of the subject.
This meeting is interesting because the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, will pay a one-day visit to Beijing, just days after President Xi Jinping wraps up his closely watched summit with his American counterpart, Donald Trump.
On the other hand, Trump has already invited Xi to the White House in September for a second summit.
References:
The Guardian, BBC News, and Al Jazeera.
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