17.05.2026 07:30
US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing did not create a major rift in US-China relations, but it showed that the two sides have entered a period of controlled competition following the bitter trade war. While no major trade deals emerged from the meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping, the sale of Boeing aircraft and agricultural agreements stood out. Notably, China did not openly support Washington on the Iran issue. Experts noted that the two countries accepted long-term strategic competition.
US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing this week did not create a major rift in Washington-Beijing relations, but it revealed that the two countries have returned to a period of "controlled competition" after last year's sharp trade war.
During two days of talks between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, it was evident that economic and strategic disagreements between the sides largely persisted. From the US administration's perspective, no concrete progress was made on issues such as China's trade policies, industrial subsidies, and its growing military influence in the Indo-Pacific.
China, on the other hand, viewed the summit as a sign of reduced economic pressure and a shift to a more predictable process. Xi Jinping was reported to have used the phrase "constructive strategic stability" for bilateral relations during the talks.
TRADE WAR RETREAT
According to experts, while the Trump administration aimed to force China to back down with high tariffs imposed in early 2025, Beijing's retaliations thwarted Washington's expectations.
Scott Kennedy, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, commented, "A year ago, we were talking about 145% tariffs. Now we've returned to a period of stability."
Prominent business figures such as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also joined Trump's visit to Beijing. However, no major commercial agreements for American companies emerged from the summit. One of the most notable events of the delegation was a lavish state dinner.
NO SUPPORT ON IRAN CRISIS
US expectations regarding Iran also went unmet at the summit. It was noted that China did not openly support Washington's efforts to end the Iran conflict. Craig Singleton, a China expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the talks "projected an image of stability but did not resolve the deadlock."
In a statement from the White House, it was argued that Trump's personal relationship with Xi Jinping yielded results that would boost American exports, such as Boeing aircraft sales and agricultural agreements. China's embassy in Washington described the talks as "candid, in-depth, constructive, and strategic."
BOEING DEAL FELL SHORT OF EXPECTATIONS
Trump announced that China had agreed to purchase 200 aircraft from Boeing. However, this figure was noted to be well below the earlier expectation of 500 aircraft.
During the 2017 Trump-China summit, approximately $250 billion in commercial agreements and memorandums were announced. This week's summit did not yield economic results of a similar magnitude. Additionally, no progress was made on the sale of Nvidia's advanced H200 AI chips to China.
Wendy Cutler, a former US trade representative official, described the summit's economic outcomes as "well below expectations."
BEIJING FOCUSES ON "LONG-TERM COMPETITION"
According to Chinese experts, Beijing no longer expects a return to the era of cooperation with the US. Cui Shoujun, a professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University, stated, "Washington and Beijing are no longer trying to restore relations to a golden age. Both sides acknowledge that long-term competition and disagreement are permanent."