Trump leaves Beijing after Xi summit

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Trump-Xi summit: The US president brought top CEOs to Beijing but few big deals emerge bbc.com

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Beijing Capital Airport (AFP/Getty) AFP/Getty

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US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One before his departure from Beijing Capital Airport in Beijing on (AFP/Getty) AFP/Getty

US president Donald Trump shakes hands with Ambassador to China David Perdue as he prepares to board Air Force One at Beijing Capital International Airport (Getty) Getty

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping while leaving after a visit to the the Zhongnanhai Garden (Getty) Getty

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US President Donald Trump ended a two-day visit to Beijing after more than two hours of closed-door talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and a final round that included tea and a working lunch, according to the BBC and the Independent. Trump arrived with a conspicuous entourage of US executives, including Elon Musk and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, but the trip’s public output was mostly warm language and promises of future “mechanisms” rather than a signed trade package. Trump nevertheless told Fox News that China would order 200 Boeing jets and buy US oil and farm goods, claims that were not accompanied by published terms or confirmations in the reporting. Boeing’s shares fell after the comments, the BBC notes, underscoring how quickly markets discount political announcements that cannot be verified.

The summit’s choreography made clear what both sides are trying to manage. Washington is still running export controls that directly hit Nvidia’s business in China, while Tesla depends heavily on production and sales tied to Shanghai. Putting those two executives close to Trump in the welcome ceremony signaled that semiconductors, electric vehicles and AI are now the core of the economic relationship, even when the official agenda is framed as “trade.” The White House said the talks were “highly productive,” while China’s foreign ministry said the leaders reached a “series of new consensuses,” language that often functions as a substitute for publishable commitments.

Instead of reopening tariff negotiations, the White House said the two leaders agreed to establish a “Board of Trade” to manage the relationship. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg TV it was still undecided whether to extend the existing trade truce beyond November, leaving companies to plan around a deadline that can shift with domestic politics. Greer also said agreements on Chinese purchases of farm goods and beef had been “firmed up,” but without the kind of volumes, schedules, or enforcement provisions that typically determine whether such pledges survive the next dispute.

The visit also folded geopolitics into commerce. Xi warned earlier that Taiwan remains a potential flashpoint, while Trump said Iran and energy security were discussed, according to the Independent. China’s foreign ministry publicly called for a swift resolution to the Iran war, a reminder that Beijing’s interest in stable shipping routes and energy supplies sits alongside its bargaining over US technology restrictions.

Trump left Beijing claiming many problems had been “settled,” and Xi promised to send him rose seeds from the Zhongnanhai gardens. The most concrete deliverable described in the reporting was not a document but a proposed board whose details US officials said still require significant work before it can operate.