Trump and Xi Hold Two Days of Talks in Beijing on Trade, AI and Middle East Issues

U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on May 14, 2026, for a high-stakes summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking his first trip to China since November 2017. The two leaders held more than two hours of talks at the Great Hall of the People that day before visiting the Temple of Heaven together.

U.S. Secret Service agent from entering the temple site, triggering an intense standoff that delayed the presidential party for over a half-hour. Trump described the day as "fantastic" after arriving in the Chinese capital on Wednesday evening.

U.S. and Chinese trade officials reached an overall balanced and positive outcome during the May 14 talks. America agreed to allow 10 Chinese firms to purchase Nvidia's H200 chip. In return, China agreed to purchase 200 Boeing jets from the American manufacturer.

The leaders discussed China buying American-produced agricultural products and ending the flow of fentanyl precursors entering the United States. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides will discuss forming a board of trade and board of investment to manage bilateral trade and investment in non-sensitive areas.

Bessent added that the two leaders will talk about artificial intelligence.

"The two AI superpowers are going to start talking, we're going to set up a protocol in terms of how do we go forward with best practices for AI to make sure non-state actors don't get ahold of these models," Bessent said. On regional security, Trump told Hannity that Xi offered to assist with ensuring navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House stated that the two sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz must remain open and that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon.

Trump said China would not give Iran military equipment. The Chinese readout of the meeting did not mention Iran's nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz, saying only that the Middle East was discussed. Xi delivered a series of pointed statements during the meetings and subsequent state banquet.

Xi added: "We both believe that the China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. " He continued: "Both China and the United States stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. -China relations, adding that "the two countries will clash or even come into conflict" if it was not dealt with properly.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said America's policy on Taiwan remains "unchanged" after the talks. " Xi stated that China's door "to the outside world will only open wider.

U.S. U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue and other top officials. The president was accompanied by prominent American entrepreneurs including Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Kelly Ortberg, Tim Cook, Sanjay Mehrotra and David Solomon.

Trump and Xi last met in person in Busan, South Korea, in late October on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The summit, originally scheduled for March, centered on trade talks between the two superpowers. It is the first in a series of possible bilateral talks between Trump and Xi this year, including meetings on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November and the Group of 20 gathering in Florida in December.

Trump invited Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan to visit the White House on September 24. Trump and Xi were set to hold the second and final day of bilateral talks on May 15, 2026, at Zhongnanhai. In the afternoon, Trump will wrap up his three-day trip to China and head back home.