US President Donald Trump is in China where he is meeting his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping with several key issues, including Iran war, on the agenda. The two leaders started a crucial series of meetings in Beijing on Thursday with stability in the relationship as the main goal of the two days of discussions in the US-China summit. Track live updates on Trump’s China visit
Xi and Trump concluded their meeting Thursday morning after about two hours, White House said, the Associated Press reported. While Trump will meet Xi again on Friday before departing for the US after midday, few breakthroughs are expected on divisive issues ranging from the Iran war, trade, technology and Taiwan.
Here are top points from Trump’s China visit:
-China and the US have agreed on a “new vision” for building “constructive” bilateral ties, Xi said after the first round of talks with Trump. Xi said the “new vision” will provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond.
-However, Xi made a ‘Taiwan’ warning and cautioned that tensions over Taiwan could jeopardise relations and trigger clashes. “I have agreed with President Trump on a new vision of building a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability,” Xi said after the meeting held in Beijing, AP reported.
-Xi urged the US to exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question. If it is handled properly, Xi said, the bilateral relationship “will enjoy overall stability”. Otherwise, the two countries could face “clashes and even conflicts”, putting bilateral ties in great jeopardy, Xi was quoted as saying by state-run Xinhua news agency.
-Trade talks also found mention in Xi’s remarks and he On trade talks, Xi said the economic and trade teams of the two sides produced “generally balanced and positive outcomes”.
-Noting that China will open its doors wider, Xi said American companies have long been involved in the country’s economic reforms and that the US side was welcome to expand mutually beneficial cooperation. “The two sides should implement the important consensus we have reached, and make better use of communication channels in the political, diplomatic and military-to-military fields,” Xi said.
-Trump also remarked that US-China relationship is one of the most ‘consequential in world history’ and that talks with Xi have been ‘extremely positive and productive’
-Trump also talked about the history of US-China ties and said, “Across the centuries, this mutual esteem grew into a relationship that reflected the tremendous talent and potential of our two people. Chinese workers helped lay the railroad tracks that connected our Atlantic coast to the Pacific. American travellers to China helped spread literacy and modern medicine.”
-Trump and Xi also discussed increasing agricultural trade, and improving oil flows at their summit on Thursday, a White House official said, Bloomberg reported, adding that Trump highlighted the need for China to boost purchases of the country’s farm products and curb flows of fentanyl precursors into the US.
-The two sides also talked about keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to support the energy trade, and Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the waterway, the official was quoted as saying
-Chinese Premier Li Qiang also stressed the need for friendship and cooperation between the countries as he spoke with US business leaders who are in Beijing with Trump, including Elon Musk, Apple’s Tim Cook and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
