President Xi Jinping of China greets US President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2026. (AP/Yonhap)
In their first summit in Beijing in nine years, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping each pushed for their respective visions of an updated bilateral relationship.Xi called for building a “constructive relationship of strategic stability” while foregrounding the Taiwan issue and warning that a wrong step by the US would lead to a clash.The White House said that Trump had enlisted Xi’s support for preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and for opposing the imposition of tolls on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.The US-China summit held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Thursday morning lasted two hours and 15 minutes, over double the expected 60 minutes.China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Xi as saying both sides in the meeting “agreed to build a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability to promote the steady, sound, and sustainable development of China-US relations.” This is interpreted as an expression of intent to form a competitive relationship on equal footing as the world’s two major powers, or G2.Xi specifically told Trump that Taiwan is the most important issue in Sino-US relations, adding, “If handled poorly, the two countries will collide or even clash, putting the entire US-China relationship in an extremely dangerous situation.” For a Chinese head of state to publicly mention the possibility of “clashes” and “conflicts” in a summit with the US president is unprecedented. Trump’s comments at the meeting remained largely unknown.In a news release following the summit, the White House said, “President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China,” adding that both sides discussed boosting bilateral economic cooperation.The White House’s release further said both sides had agreed on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for the “free flow of energy,” adding that China clearly declared its position of opposing the militarization of the strait and any attempt by Iran to impose tolls.The two presidents also reportedly agreed that Iran must never possess nuclear weapons. On Taiwan, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Trump would make comments “in the coming days.”At the state dinner that evening, Trump asked Xi to visit the US around Sept. 24.By Lee Jeong-yeon, Beijing correspondent; Cheon Ho-sung, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
