Trump-Xi summit Day 2 takeaways: ANALYSIS
President Donald Trump has left Beijing after days of grand diplomatic displays and lavish ceremonies -- but there were no apparent breakthroughs on the thorniest issues in the U.S.-China relationship.
On the final day of the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Trump at the Communist Party's secretive leadership compound, where Trump praised Xi.
Here are some key takeaways from the second day of the summit.
Iran War
On Iran, Trump came hoping to convince Xi to use his leverage to get Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump said Xi vowed not to supply Iran with military equipment and offered to help resolve the conflict -- but China's official readout made no mention, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry sidestepped questions about whether Iran was even discussed.
Trump said Friday that he and Xi feel "very similar on Iran" in wanting the war to end and prohibiting Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Leaving on Air Force One, Trump again stressed he and Xi were on the same page. But when pressed on whether Xi actually committed to pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said he doesn’t "need favors," suggesting little was resolved.
Taiwan
On Taiwan, Xi used the summit to deliver a stark warning -- that if the issue isn't handled properly, the U.S. and China will face "clashes and even conflicts."
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he made "no commitment either way" on Taiwan, and that a decision on future U.S. arms sales had not yet been finalized.
Ahead of this meeting, there were concerns in Washington that Beijing would press Trump to reduce U.S. arms support to the island.
Trump has already been delaying the latest round of arms sales, for months refusing to sign off on the record $14 billion package that was approved in January 2025, despite urging from some lawmakers.
"I'll make a determination over the next fairly short period," Trump said when asked about the arms sales by reporters aboard Air Force One.
Trade deals
On the economy -- where the most progress was expected -- Trump said Xi agreed to order 200 Boeing jets.
"We had a great stay. It was an amazing period of time. President Xi’s an incredible guy. We got along, made a lot of great trade deals," Trump said on Air Force One, "including over 200 planes for Boeing, with a promise of 750 planes, which will be by far the largest order ever."
The U.S. trade representative said China is expected to buy tens of billions of dollars worth of agricultural products in the next few years.
But none of those specific deals have been confirmed by Beijing or Boeing.
Trump also said that he and Xi didn’t discuss tariffs, simply telling reporters that it "wasn’t brought up," despite lingering questions about whether the detente in their trade war will be extended.
Bottom line
After days of pomp and carefully choreographed diplomacy, it appears there were no major breakthroughs on the trickiest issues.
But, the fact that these two leaders met at all signals there is hope for stability.
