The talks were followed by an elaborate state dinner. US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at the White House on Thursday for high-stakes talks.
The meeting centred on trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan and the broader strategic rivalry between the world's two largest economies. The talks were followed by an elaborate state dinner, where both leaders struck a notably warm tone and highlighted the long history of engagement between the two countries.
The meeting, however, did not erase the major differences between Washington and Beijing. Trade tensions remain unresolved, the two sides continue to differ over artificial intelligence and Taiwan remains a central security flashpoint.
The war in Iran also featured in discussions, with Beijing maintaining a position different from Washington's approach to the conflict. Five key takeaways from the Trump-Xi meeting at the White House.
Trade truce gets more time, but key disputes remainThe two countries agreed to extend their existing trade truce by two months, giving Washington and Beijing additional time to negotiate a more durable economic arrangement. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the extension would provide “more time to see what we can do on the economic front”.
The agreement had been due to expire in November, with the extension pushing the deadline into the next phase of negotiations. The pause does not resolve the central disputes between the two sides.
Tariffs, Chinese purchases of American goods, rare-earth supplies and US technology restrictions remain important areas of disagreement. Bessent had also said Beijing was meeting a commitment to purchase 25 million tons of US soybeans but was behind on a pledge to buy $17 billion in other agricultural goods.
US officials have also said Chinese rare-earth deliveries were falling short. For businesses, the extension means lower tariff rates remain in place for now, but uncertainty over the longer-term trading relationship continues.
Taiwan remains a major fault lineTaiwan was another central issue in the Trump-Xi discussions, with Xi urging Washington to take a cautious approach to the island. According to China's official news agency Xinhua, Xi asked Trump to “prudently handle the Taiwan question” and urged the US to oppose Taiwan independence.
The White House had not immediately released its own readout of the exchange on Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has repeatedly pressed Washington to stop arms sales to the island.
