Trump and Xi Hold High-Stakes Summit in Beijing on Trade, Iran, and Taiwan
Primary region US
Tags Diplomacy · Trade
Regions US · China
President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 13, 2026, for a two-day summit with President Xi Jinping — the first visit by a U.S. president to China since 2017. The leaders discussed extending the bilateral trade truce reached in October 2025, with the U.S. pushing for Chinese purchases of soybeans, beef, and Boeing aircraft while China sought longer-term tariff stability and relief from semiconductor export controls. Trump was accompanied by more than a dozen CEOs including Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and Cristiano Amon, though Nvidia's Jensen Huang was notably absent, signaling no relaxation of advanced chip restrictions. Taiwan arms sales were a flashpoint, with a record $11 billion weapons package reportedly put on ice ahead of the talks. Iran featured on the agenda, with Trump seeking China's leverage over Tehran as the U.S.-Iran ceasefire remained fragile. Analysts assessed the summit's primary outcome as maintaining bilateral stability rather than producing major breakthroughs.
Strategic interpretation
The summit's value lies less in specific deals than in preventing further deterioration of the world's most consequential bilateral relationship. China gains from any trade truce extension, which stabilizes its export-dependent economy amid the Iran war's supply chain disruptions. The U.S. has limited leverage after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's reciprocal tariffs. Taiwan remains the most volatile variable — any perceived U.S. concession on arms sales could embolden Beijing's unification strategy while alarming Taipei and regional allies.