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Donald Trump claims he and Xi Jinping have agreed on how they want to end the Iran war, as the US president concluded a whirlwind visit to China.
China said it welcomed the start of dialogue on the Middle East and called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Sitting alongside Xi inside the Chinese Communist Party’s secretive Zhongnanhai compound, Trump said: “We feel very similar about (how) we want it to end. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump also said the two sides struck “fantastic trade deals” during an “incredible” visit, but markets reacted weakly to a set of announcements that were light on detail or solid commitments.
Xi hailed the two-day summit as “historic”, adding: “Together, we affirmed the new position of a constructive, strategic and stable China-US relationship.”
On Friday, the two leaders had tea, toured Zhongnanhai, a compound where China’s leaders live and work, and later held a working lunch.
Trump said the two leaders “settled a lot of different problems that other people wouldn’t have been able to solve”, before setting off on Air Force One for Washington.
No clear winner and underwhelming outcomes from Trump-Xi summit, analyst says
The summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping was hailed as a high-stakes affair – but appears not to have produced any significant policy breakthroughs or market-moving deals, analysts say.
It’s also not clear who the “winner” out of the two is, professor Nick Bisley of Australia’s La Trobe University tells The Independent.
“Indeed, it seems that it has achieved even less than was anticipated. Most observers had low expectations – the summit would be more about optics and atmospherics with a few token agreements about the boeings, soybeans and perhaps the creation of some mechanism to help manage trade frictions – and apart from the announcement about Boeing jets not much seems to have been agreed. Trump has made some vague noise about China buying American oil but there hasn’t been anything confirmed,” he said.
On balance, Xi probably got more out of it than Trump.
“He seems not to have given much ground, he made clear China’s views on Taiwan in a surprisingly forthright manner, and has succeeded in positioning the relationship as on a ‘stabilised’ footing in ways that give the PRC some advantages,” he said, referring to the official name of China.
“The Trump team did not appear to have done enough preparation in comparison to Xi and Trump seemed too willing to play the supporting act in a CCP drama, positioning Xi as the dominant figure in world politics.”
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 11:00
Trump shares CNN report praising China summit
Now that Donald Trump is back on Air Force One he has resumed posting on Truth Social.
Trump has shared a screenshot a CNN article praising the outcome of his China trip. The article quoted a Chinese scholar who rated the Trump–Xi summit “9.99 out of 10” and described it as “very successful” and “historical”.
The scholar Victor Gao China had “put its best foot forward” and praised both US officials and business leaders for handling the visit well. He called the summit a “historical moment”.
(@realDonaldTrump)
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 10:59
Taiwan says no Chinese aircraft activity detected during Trump’s visit
Taiwan’s defence ministry said it did not detect any Chinese aircraft activity during Donald Trump’s state visit on Thursday.
The ministry said it tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and one official ship operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours ending 0600 local time on Friday.
Chinese military activity around the island has remained relatively low this week. The highest level was recorded on Monday, when Taipei detected five Chinese aircraft and helicopter sorties near the island’s southwestern and eastern areas.
Taiwan publishes daily updates on Chinese military movements around the island, which it views as a potential security threat.
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 10:52
Recap: What happened so far on final day of Trump-Xi summitDonald Trump spent the final day of his Beijing visit highlighting what he described as major trade breakthroughs with China, while also discussing Iran, energy security and future US-China ties with Xi Jinping. Seated beside Xi in a decorative red armchair at the opulent Zhongnanhai complex, Trump said, “We’ve made some fantastic trade deals, great for both countries.” He said the discussions covered trade, Iran and “a lot of other things”, and added that the business executives travelling with him were in Beijing to “make deals” and “bring back jobs”. They chatted and strolled outside, with Trump remarking about the beautiful roses and Xi promising to send him seeds for the flowers, before a lunch of lobster balls, Kung Pao scallops and shrimp dumplings. Trump claimed China had agreed to buy US oil and order 200 Boeing jets, alongside deals involving American farm goods, beef and energy exports. He also suggested Xi Jinping was interested in reducing China’s reliance on Middle Eastern energy supplies. On Iran, Trump said he and Xi felt “very similar”, stressing that the US did not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and wanted the Strait of Hormuz to remain open. China’s foreign ministry issued a blunt statement outlining its frustration with the Iran war. “Now that the door for dialogue has been opened, then it shouldn’t be shut again,” it said in a statement Friday, adding that the solution should “take into account the concerns of all parties on the Iran nuclear issue.” “Shipping routes should be reopened as soon as possible,” the ministry said.
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 10:30
ICYMI: Xi calls summit with Trump ‘historic and landmark’
Xi Jinping described Donald Trump’s trip as a “historic and landmark” visit and said the two leaders had established “a new positioning” for a “constructive, strategic and stable” US-China relationship.
“President Trump hopes to make America great again, and I am committed to leading the Chinese people toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” Xi said, according to a Chinese government readout, adding that both sides should implement the “important consensus” reached during the meetings.
Trump, meanwhile, described the visit as “very successful, world-renowned and unforgettable”, the Chinese readout said. He referred to Xi as “an old friend of mine”, adding: “I have great respect for him.”
Trump also said he looked forward to maintaining “sincere and in-depth communication” with Xi and warmly welcomed the Chinese leader to Washington for a future visit.
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 10:00
All China-issued items ‘thrown in bin’ before take-off of Air Force One
Despite the warm optics and productive talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, US officials appeared to take no chances over security concerns.
According to pool reporter Emily Goodin, White House staff collected and discarded all items handed out by Chinese officials – including credentials, burner phones and delegation pins – before boarding Air Force One.
They “threw them in a bin” before taking off, Goodin wrote on X.“Nothing from China was allowed on the plane”.
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 09:31
Xi Jinping gives a guided tour of Zhongnanhai GardenTrump tours gardens with Xi at Zhongnanhai
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 09:30
Trump asks Xi how often foreign guests visit Zhongnanhai
Donald Trump asked Xi Jinping if foreign guests often visit the Zhongnanhai compound, a heavily guarded complex where the Chinese president lives and works.
“Can I ask the President: with other dignitaries from other countries, presidents or prime ministers, does he bring them here?” Trump asked through translators in a garden.
US President Donald Trump (R) walks with China’s President Xi Jinping (C) as he leaves after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing (AFP/Getty)
“Very few,” Xi said. “We usually don’t hold diplomatic events here. Even after we started having some, it’s still extremely rare.”
“For example, Putin,” Xi added. The Russian president has visited Zhongnanhai several times during previous visits to China.”
“Good. I like it,” Trump said.
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 09:14
Trump says Xi is ‘very tall’ and out of ‘central casting’ because people in China ‘tend to be a little bit shorter’
“Even his physical features, you know, he’s tall, very tall, and especially for this country, because they tend to be a little bit shorter… but no, if you went to Hollywood, you wouldn’t find that, you’re not going to find a guy to play the role who’s good.”
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 09:00
Trump says US and China are agreed on how Iran conflict should end
Donald Trump said the US and China were broadly aligned on wanting the conflict involving Iran to end, adding: “We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon.”
Speaking after talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing, Trump also called for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open amid disruptions linked to the conflict.
“We did discuss Iran. We feel very similar about [how] we want it to end. We don’t want them to have a nuclear weapon. We want the strait open,” he said.
“We want them to get it ended because it’s a crazy thing there,” Trump said. “It’s no good, it can’t happen.”
China reiterated a call to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a bilateral meeting with the US and called for a diplomatic solution to the Iran war.
“Now that the door for dialogue has been opened, then it shouldn’t be shut again,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday, adding that the solution should “take into account the concerns of all parties on the Iran nuclear issue.”
Shweta Sharma15 May 2026 08:57