Trump meets Xi in Beijing as trade, tariffs, Taiwan loom

Trump meets – Trump and Xi meet in Beijing aiming to stabilize U.S.-China ties as tariffs, rare earths and Taiwan concerns hover over talks.

President Trump’s visit to Beijing arrives with a clear message: stabilize U.S.-China relations now, before unresolved flashpoints become catalysts for a fresh confrontation.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Thursday outside the Great Hall of the People. shaking hands late Wednesday night ET as the leaders opened what is being framed as a reset in a relationship still shadowed by last year’s trade war.. An opening ceremony featuring a brass band. marching military units and children waving American and Chinese flags set a cordial tone before the two leaders moved into talks.. Xi. in translated remarks. told reporters and officials that “a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world” and argued the countries should act as “partners. not rivals.”

Inside the meeting room. Trump praised his personal relationship with Xi. describing him as a friend and calling him a “great leader.” He said disagreements between the two countries have been manageable and argued the U.S.. is eager to do business with China. saying. “We’re going to have a fantastic future together.” Reporters were then ushered out and bilateral negotiations began.

The encounter is the first face-to-face meeting between the leaders since October. and it also marks the first time a U.S.. president has traveled to China since Trump made a trip to Beijing in 2017.. In the background of that political backdrop is a trade relationship that has swung sharply from confrontation toward caution over the last year.

Just over a year ago. relations deteriorated after Trump imposed heavy tariffs on China and dozens of other trading partners. triggering a tit-for-tat response from Beijing.. The exchange escalated into tariff increases on each other’s goods that briefly pushed over 100%.. Beyond broad trade. the two sides also clashed over a wide range of issues including rare earth elements. semiconductors. student visas. shipments of fentanyl precursor chemicals. and Chinese soybean imports.

Since then, tensions have eased.. Both governments have scaled back tariffs, and China agreed to halt export restrictions on rare earths.. Still, it remains unclear whether the U.S.. and China are moving toward a broader trade deal that goes beyond the current de-escalation.. Even so. experts cited in the reporting say neither side appears eager to relive last year’s trade war. and both governments have publicly emphasized stability.

Rare earth access is a particularly sensitive thread tying the visit to U.S.. industrial concerns.. The Trump administration has sought to preserve American access to rare earths while also enabling U.S.. companies to export food and other goods to the Chinese market—topics that could feature in this week’s meetings.. U.S.. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has also floated the idea of a U.S.-China “Board of Trade. ” aimed at coordinating agreements tied to those broader commercial goals.

Before heading to Beijing. Trump told reporters that trade would be central to the conversations. adding that there would be “a lot of different things” on the agenda.. His approach appears designed to pair diplomatic messaging with business participation. a strategy reflected in the composition of the U.S.. delegation.

Several U.S.. executives were included in events tied to the visit. including figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook.. Their presence underscores the commercial stakes for companies that rely on China as a major market.. The reporting also notes that Nvidia is seeking to sell more advanced chips to China.

After the formal ceremony on Thursday, Huang and Musk told reporters the meetings had gone well. Musk said “many good things” had been achieved, while Cook offered a peace sign and a thumbs-up as he exited.

Yet trade is not the only pressure point hovering over the talks. The U.S.-Iran conflict is also part of the backdrop for U.S.-China diplomacy, even if Trump has suggested it may not dominate the agenda.

Trump has said he does not expect the Iran situation to come up as much as trade. even as he continues to seek a deal with Iran.. Those efforts appear stalled. with the reporting indicating that talks are complicated by competing efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz.. Trump characterized an early April truce that paused direct U.S.-Iran fighting as being on “life support.”

Some analysts argue the U.S.. focus on the Middle East—including the munitions it has used in Iran—could complicate planning for a potential confrontation with China.. At the same time. China imports large amounts of oil from the Middle East and is the world’s largest purchaser of Iranian oil. leaving Beijing exposed to the broader economic effects of any escalation.. That connection creates a direct incentive for China to pay attention to the trajectory of the conflict.

In comments carried by Fox News. Rubio said he expects Iran to come up in the talks with Chinese officials and argued the U.S.. has made clear that any support for Iran would be detrimental to the bilateral relationship.. He added that China has an interest in mitigating the conflict’s impacts on oil shipments and expressed hope the U.S.. can persuade Beijing to take a more active role.

Taiwan remains another lingering issue with the potential to reshape the political atmosphere of the visit.. The People’s Republic of China has said it intends to reintegrate with Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to take over what it views as a breakaway province.. The U.S.. has provided billions of dollars in military support to Taiwan and says it opposes any unilateral change to the status quo.

At the same time, the U.S.. has a longstanding policy of not publicly stating whether it would defend Taiwan in a war with China.. Reporting also notes concerns in Taiwan that U.S.. support could become part of negotiations as Trump seeks agreements with Beijing. particularly in moments where trade and economic arrangements are on the table.

For the Trump administration. the visit appears to balance economic de-escalation with the need to manage strategic competition—an effort complicated by global conflict. sensitive supply chains. and a military flashpoint that neither side treats as a distant possibility.. For Xi. the diplomatic opportunity lies in pulling the relationship away from the tariff-driven confrontation of last year while navigating the same security questions the U.S.. has raised.

In Beijing, the immediate goal is stability. But the agenda’s blend of trade, Iran, and Taiwan suggests the leaders’ public optimism will be tested by the hard realities of how far each side is willing—or able—to go.

Trump Xi Beijing U.S.-China trade tariffs and rare earths Taiwan tensions U.S.-Iran talks Great Hall of the People