On May 14, US and Chinese leaders held bilateral talks in Beijing where they agreed to improve US-China relations. The leaders also discussed Taiwan, the Middle East, and Ukraine.
People’s Republic of China
Details
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping finished two hours of talks in Beijing on May 14. BBC reported on the meeting. Both the American and Chinese sides spoke optimistically about future relations, despite ongoing disagreements on several issues. These include Taiwan, trade, and the war against Iran. Officials had originally planned the meeting earlier, but they postponed it after the US attack on Iran.
The May 14 meeting became the first in-person meeting between Trump and Xi since the summit in South Korea in October 2025. Later in the evening, Trump is expected to attend a state banquet hosted by China in his honor.
At the opening of the summit, Xi Jinping called for stronger cooperation between the American and Chinese economies. He said China and the United States should act as partners instead of opponents. At the same time, Xi noted that competition between the two countries continues to deepen amid growing global instability.
Trump, meanwhile, said relations between the US and China would now become better than ever before.
Results of the meeting
In a statement, China’s Foreign Ministry said the “biggest common denominator” between China and the United States is preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Because of this, Beijing urged the American side to act carefully when addressing the Taiwan issue.
“The two presidents exchanged views on major international and regional issues, such as the Middle East situation, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean Peninsula,” the statement said.
During the talks, Xi Jinping stressed that China and the United States share more common interests than differences. According to him, success in one country creates opportunities for the other. He also said stable US-China relations benefit the entire world.
“China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals,” Xi stated.
Donald Trump praised Xi during the meeting and called him a great leader. The US president added that he was willing to say this regardless of criticism from others.
“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before,” Trump said.
In the end, both sides agreed they should improve communication in the political, diplomatic, and military spheres. Xi also said the US and China should expand exchanges and cooperation in areas such as trade, healthcare, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people relations, and law enforcement.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported that the United States introduced sanctions under the “Economic Fury” campaign against companies supplying Iran with weapons and components for Shahed drones. The sanctions target companies in the Middle East, as well as in Asia and Eastern Europe.
