Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting in China for the first time since 2017. Here they are in front of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.Image: keystone
May 14, 2026, 09:36May 14, 2026, 9:40 a.m
US President Trump arrived in China on Wednesday for a three-day visit. At the start of the meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed Trump with military honors at the Great Hall of the People in the heart of the Chinese capital. Both shook hands for a longer time. Trump also applauded children who were jumping and cheering as they held up small US flags and flowers. Trump later said he thought the children were “great.”
Trump and Xi last met at the end of October in advance of a summit in South Korea and agreed to a break in the ongoing customs dispute. The last time Trump was in China was in 2017.
Talks will take place between Trump and Xi in the following days, and there will also be a state banquet on Thursday evening. Trump will travel back to the USA on Friday.
Trade, Taiwan, Iran
The talks between Trump and Xi are likely to focus primarily on trade issues. Before his departure, Trump said he wanted to achieve better conditions for American companies in China and traveled with well-known business representatives from the USA.
Other topics are likely to include planned arms sales by the USA to Taiwan and the Iran war. The USA therefore hopes that China will help secure the Hormuz route, which by blocking the route has maneuvered the USA into an economic and military dead end.
Xi said stable Sino-American relations are “good for the world.” Both sides should be partners and not opponents. He also raised the question of whether China and the US could create a “new model for great power relations”. Xi placed the relationship between the two countries in the context of a potentially dangerous rivalry: He spoke of the “Thucydides Trap,” named after a historian of ancient Greece. This refers to the danger that a rising power (China) and an established leading power (USA) will come into a dangerous confrontation.
Xi warns Trump about Taiwan
At the start of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China, both sides sought a more stable relationship between the major powers. At the same time, however, Xi Jinping warned of a conflict over Taiwan.
If the Taiwan issue is handled poorly, there would be tension or even conflict between the two countries, Xi said, according to the state news agency Xinhua. This could put relations between China and the US in an “extremely dangerous situation”.
It was initially not known whether and what Trump responded to Xi’s comments. The USA plays an important role in relation to Taiwan – among other things because, despite great criticism from Beijing, it supplies Taiwan with weapons. The island state, which China claims as its own, has been governed independently and democratically for decades.
Trump praises China
Donald Trump, who once threatened China with massive punitive tariffs, struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone in Beijing.
At the beginning of the conversation, he said that the USA and China had a “fantastic” future together. Xi called Trump a “great leader.” And further: “Sometimes people don’t like it when I say that, but I say it anyway because it’s true,” Trump continued. “It’s an honor to be your friend.”
Last year, Trump threatened China with massive punitive tariffs. Now the US President was demonstratively harmonious.
The trade war remains the big issue
Despite friendly words, the situation remains tense. The world’s two largest economies have been engaged in a bitter trade dispute for years.
Xi therefore tried to reassure: the common interests are greater than the differences, he said. China wants to open its markets further and cooperate more closely with the USA.
According to US journalists, the first conversation between Trump and Xi lasted around two hours. According to Chinese state media, Xi then met high-ranking business representatives from the USA who had traveled to Beijing with Trump. Xi therefore declared that China’s open doors would continue to open. China welcomes increased cooperation with the USA.
Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Nvidia also there
Trump did not come to Beijing alone, but traveled with a high-profile business delegation. Among those present were tech billionaire Elon Musk, Apple boss Tim Cook and Nvidia boss Jensen Huang. Nvidia in particular plays a key role in the race for artificial intelligence. The fact that the chip industry is present at the meeting shows that it is not just about politics, but also about technology and power.
The Iran war is also likely to be an issue
Another crisis is playing in the background: the conflict surrounding Iran. The US apparently hopes that China will help secure the Strait of Hormuz – one of the most important routes for oil and gas transport in the world. The problem is that China buys large quantities of Iranian oil and is therefore caught between its own economic interests and pressure from the USA. (sda/dpa/lyn)
Video: watson/nina bürge