Trump and Xi Meet in Beijing Amid Tensions Over Iran War, Taiwan Arms Deal and Rare Earths

U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping on May 15, 2026, at Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing. Trump was in the Chinese capital for three days this week and was accompanied by a delegation of American CEOs including the heads of Apple, Nvidia, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs.

-China trade war for a year. That earlier agreement was reached on the sidelines of a multilateral summit in South Korea. U.S.

Industries. the White House readout of the May 15, 2026, meeting did not mention China’s export controls on rare earths. China controls nearly the entire rare earths industry. -China relationship and that mishandling it could lead to clashes and even conflicts.

A $14bn arms deal for Taiwan is reportedly in the works. U.S. legislators. U.S. readout mentioned whether Trump discussed Taiwan or the future of arms sales.

U.S. and Israel launched a war on Iran on February 28, 2026. Before the war, a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz each year.

China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic partnership in 2021, and China buys 80 to 90 percent of Iran’s oil annually. The White House readout said the two leaders agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to support the free flow of energy. It added that President Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarisation of the Strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.

Xi expressed interest in purchasing more American oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Strait in the future. Both countries agreed that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon. The Chinese readout of the May 15, 2026, meeting did not mention Iran or its nuclear programme.

@AJEnglish reported that the omissions reflect that Xi and Trump still disagree on key issues, including Iran. William Yang is senior Northeast Asia analyst at the Crisis Group. Chucheng Feng is founding partner of Hutong Research based in Beijing.

The article was published on 15 May 2026. The photo of Trump and Xi meeting was taken on May 15, 2026, in Beijing, China, by Evan Vucci-Pool/Getty Images.