Published May 15, 2026
Analysts say that despite the turmoil that characterized 2025, there are early signs that the United States and China are moving toward a relationship focused on pragmatic areas of common interest following President Donald Trump’s visit to China.
President Trump visited Beijing for three days this week and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, accompanied by a delegation of American CEOs including the heads of Apple, Nvidia, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.
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The meeting between the two leaders took place just over six months after they agreed to suspend the US-China trade war for one year to coincide with a multilateral summit in South Korea. Trump frequently criticizes China’s economic policies at home, but during his visit he appeared to be on good terms with Xi and was lavish in his praise of the Chinese leader.
Trump told Xi on Thursday: “It’s an honor to be with you and an honor to be your friend. The relationship between China and the United States will be better than ever.”
A reading of the meeting between President Trump and Xi, released by the White House on Thursday, highlighted areas of common ground, saying the two leaders “discussed ways to strengthen economic cooperation between our two countries” by “expanding market access for U.S. companies in China and increasing Chinese investment in our industries.”
Notably, the statement made no mention of China’s export restrictions on rare earths, which are critical materials used in high-tech, defense and energy sectors. China controls almost the entire industry and has moved to limit U.S. access.
William Yang, senior Northeast Asia analyst at Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s comments indicate he is likely to try to fragment the U.S.-China relationship into areas where the two countries can cooperate without overshadowing geopolitical concerns.
Mr. Yang said that although Xi has not expressed it publicly, he has also expressed a desire to move toward a new U.S.-China framework based on “constructive strategic stability.” This means that the United States and China should strive to “minimize competition, manage differences, and make stability the cornerstone of our bilateral relationship,” he said.
Both leaders appear to be avoiding other controversial issues, such as the status of Taiwan, a democracy of 23 million people that Beijing claims but the U.S. government informally supports.
During the meeting, President Xi told Trump that Taiwan was the “most important issue” in U.S.-China relations and that mishandling Taiwan could lead to “conflict and even confrontation” between the two countries. Beijing opposes continued U.S. military aid to Taiwan and is pressuring the U.S. to take a clearer stance on Taiwan’s political status.
The United States does not recognize the Taipei government, but maintains a deliberately vague policy regarding China’s territorial claims. Despite the controversy, neither China nor the United States has said whether Trump has talked about Taiwan or the future of arms sales, suggesting that Trump either disagrees with Xi or is avoiding the topic.
Analysts like Yang say it’s still too early to know whether Trump will heed Xi’s words by blocking or delaying a $14 billion arms deal reportedly in the works for Taiwan. U.S. lawmakers say the deal needs President Trump’s approval to move forward.
Mr. Xi was similarly cautious about Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed since the United States and Israel began their war against Iran on February 28.
President Trump has previously pressed China to reopen the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flowed each year before the war, citing its close relationship with Tehran. China and Iran signed a 25-year “strategic partnership” in 2021, with the Chinese government purchasing 80-90% of Iranian crude oil every year.
Trump reiterated this point during his meeting with Xi in Beijing, where the two leaders “agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy,” according to US media reports.
“President Xi also made clear that China opposes any efforts to militarize the Strait and impose tolls on its use, and expressed interest in purchasing more U.S. oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon,” the statement said.
The Chinese side’s reading of the meeting on Thursday did not include any mention of Iran or its nuclear program.
Chuchen Feng, a founding partner at Beijing-based Hutong Research, told Al Jazeera that while the omission reflects that Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump still disagree on key issues, including Iran, the overall message of the summit was a desire to move forward.
“The most important thing for China is to find the sweet spot in the relationship and to put in place and strengthen guardrails to prevent surprises and uncontrollable escalation. To that end, point-by-point disagreements are almost secondary,” he said.
