US President Donald Trump departed China on Friday after a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While the US government touts the victory of the bilateral trade deal, Beijing warns the US against going too far on the Taiwan issue and says the US-Israel war against Iran should never have started.
Both sides have issued statements detailing the discussions between Trump and Xi, but there is only limited overlap. Two White House readouts released Thursday address issues not mentioned in the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement, and vice versa.
Analyze what these issues are, what both sides said, and where they agree.
About trade agreements
President Trump said several business agreements were signed between the United States and China during his two days in Beijing. In his remarks at the conclusion of the summit, President Trump said, “We have a great trade deal for both countries.”
Mr. Xi also met with U.S. business leaders who accompanied President Trump on his visit.
Specifically, President Trump told Fox News on Friday that China had agreed to buy 200 jets from U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing, less than half of the market’s estimate of 500 jets, sending Boeing shares down more than 4% on Friday. If the agreement goes through, it will be China’s first purchase of a U.S.-made jet in about 10 years.
However, China did not mention this or any other trade agreement in its post-summit statement. Boeing also has not confirmed the deal.
So far, no other trade agreements have been confirmed or announced by either side. There was also no sign of a breakthrough deal for the U.S. to sell advanced AI Nvidia chips to China, despite CEO Jensen Huang’s dramatic last-minute addition to his travel schedule.
President Xi said Thursday that China would open up more to American companies, but did not say what this meant in terms of trade deals.
“President Xi pointed out that China-US economic and trade relations are mutually beneficial in nature and benefit both sides,” a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website on Thursday said.
A statement released by the White House on Thursday also said the two countries committed to “expanding market access for U.S. companies to China and increasing Chinese investment in our industries.” The two sides also discussed expanding China’s purchases of U.S. agricultural products.
However, China’s statement did not mention any specific business or trade agreements between the United States and China.
About drug trafficking
Since the beginning of his second term as president last January, Trump has blamed China for the fentanyl crisis in the United States. He said this was one of the reasons why China imposed significant tariffs on exports last year.
After the two-day summit this week, the White House said, “The two presidents also emphasized the need to build on progress to stem the flow of fentanyl precursors into the United States.”
However, the statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not mention fentanyl or drugs flowing into the United States.
About the Iran war
Both the United States and China said in statements that the Iran war had been discussed, but their statements on the content differ.
“Both countries agree that Iran will never acquire a nuclear weapon,” the White House said in a statement posted to its X account on Thursday.
However, a statement published by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in X on Friday did not explicitly say that Iran should not possess nuclear weapons. Instead, he said, “This conflict should never have happened, but there is no reason for it to continue.”
“It is important to stabilize the momentum of de-escalation, stick to the path to a political solution, engage in dialogue and consultation, and reach a settlement on the Iranian nuclear issue and other issues that takes into account the concerns of all parties.”
Iran has never publicly expressed any intention to build nuclear weapons, and China has previously worked with the United States, European countries and Russia to secure the Barack Obama-era 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that limited Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is believed to have around 440 kg (970 lb) of 60% enriched uranium. Producing nuclear weapons requires 90 percent enriched uranium.
“Both countries agree that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” the White House said in a statement.
Iran has restricted shipping through the strait since early March. The strait is a narrow waterway that connects Gulf oil-producing countries to the open ocean, and before the war, 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were transported through the strait. Iran allows ships from some countries to pass through, but transit negotiations are required with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
In previous proposals to end the war, Iran had proposed imposing tolls and tolls on ships attempting to transit through Iran. The US government has repeatedly rejected this prospect. In April, the United States announced a naval blockade of ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, adding further disruption to global oil and gas supplies.
A White House statement after the Trump-Xi summit said: “President Xi also made clear that China opposes any effort to militarize the Strait and impose fees on its use, and expressed interest in purchasing more U.S. oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future.”
However, China’s statement did not mention its interest in tolls to Iran, militarization of the strait, or purchasing additional U.S. oil.
The government acknowledges that “conflicts place significant strain on global economic growth, supply chains, the international trade order, and the security of global energy supplies, and undermine the common interests of the international community.”
Trump and Xi held their final meeting at the Zhongnanhai complex, a former imperial garden that housed the Chinese leader’s office. During the meeting, Trump said he felt he and Xi were “very similar” about Iran, but Xi did not directly confirm Trump’s assertion.
About US-China relations
“The two presidents agreed on a new vision of building constructive China-US relations with strategic stability, to provide strategic guidance for China-US relations over the next three years,” a statement released by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The White House statement did not mention a three-year timetable and focused more on developing economic relations between the United States and China than on strategic stability.
About Taiwan
“President Xi emphasized that the Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-US relations,” a statement posted on the Chinese Foreign Ministry website said.
“If properly addressed, bilateral relations will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will end up in conflict and even conflict, putting the entire relationship at great risk.”
However, it is notable that the White House’s post-summit statement did not mention Taiwan, and President Trump ignored reporters’ questions about his stance on Taiwan while in Beijing.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, but Taiwan’s government insists the autonomous island of 23 million people is a sovereign state.
The US government has officially recognized that China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, but has not said whether it agrees with that position.
Although the United States formally severed official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China, decades ago, it remains committed to supporting the defense of an autonomous democracy under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979.
The law allows the U.S. government to supply Taiwan with billions of dollars worth of weapons and deepen cooperation in areas such as military training and intelligence sharing, a move that Beijing views as interference in Taiwan’s internal affairs.
Where do they overlap?
President Trump and Mr. Xi discussed strengthening U.S.-China relations and “key issues” concerning the two countries and the world, according to statements from both sides.
The U.S. government said in a statement that the U.S. and China are on the same page on several issues, echoed by China’s Foreign Ministry, which said Trump and Xi had “reached a new set of common understandings.”
Both sides also confirmed that Trump and Xi had discussed the Iran war and also mentioned concerns about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
