Live Updates: Trump and Xi Play Up Stability Without Resolving Major Tensions

President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping wrapped up their high-stakes summit in Beijing on May 15, highlighting stability and cooperation while avoiding concrete resolutions on major issues. During a meeting at Zhongnanhai, Trump described Xi as a 'friend' and claimed they had resolved problems others couldn’t, though specifics were unclear. Xi framed the visit as a 'historic and symbolic milestone,' emphasizing a new bilateral relationship based on 'constructive strategic stability,' while sidestepping direct mentions of trade, Taiwan, or Iran. The summit, the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nearly a decade, focused on public diplomacy, including a White House invitation for Xi in September. Behind closed doors, Xi warned Trump that Taiwan—an island China claims as its territory—could escalate into 'an extremely dangerous situation' if mishandled, referencing the 'Thucydides Trap' to highlight risks of U.S.-China conflict. Trump later told reporters he and Xi had made 'fantastic trade deals,' though no formal agreements were announced. Tensions lingered despite the cordial tone. The White House stated both sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that 'Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,' but no progress was made on China’s threatened rare earth export restrictions, which had been paused in October. Trump also claimed Xi agreed to order 200 Boeing aircraft, with a potential for 750 more, though neither Boeing nor China confirmed the deal. Discussions on artificial intelligence included plans to establish guardrails to prevent nonstate actors from accessing powerful AI models, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. However, the summit left unresolved disputes, with Trump boarding Air Force One for the U.S. without clear breakthroughs on trade, Taiwan, or broader geopolitical tensions.