BEIJING — U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a three-day summit in Beijing from May 13 to May 15, 2026, addressing trade, Taiwan, and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. The leaders participated in a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on May 14.
The summit marked the first U.S. presidential visit to China in nine years and the first of Trump’s second term. Trump traveled to Beijing accompanied by 17 CEOs collectively worth more than $1 trillion, according to Forbes. The two nations had imposed steep tariffs on each other during Trump’s second term—145 percent on Chinese goods by the U.S. and 125 percent by China on American products—though a practical truce had been reached during an October 2025 meeting in Busan, South Korea.
According to a White House readout, the leaders agreed on several trade commitments, including Chinese purchases of 200 Boeing aircraft—the first such order since 2017—and at least $17 billion annually in U.S. agricultural goods through 2028, along with American oil. Both countries also committed to fentanyl cooperation and affirmed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open. The United States and Israel had begun a war with Iran in February 2026, leading to the strait’s closure and severe disruption to global trade.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs described Xi as proposing a new framework of “a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability.” Its readout emphasized Taiwan as “the most important issue in U.S.-China relations” and warned that mishandling it could lead to “clashes and even conflicts.” The Chinese statement made no mention of trade figures, the Boeing deal, or fentanyl. Trump remarked that a Taiwan arms sale was “a very good negotiating chip.”
Both nations agreed to establish bilateral Boards of Trade and Investment. Trump invited Xi to the White House on September 24, 2026, with additional meetings planned for the APEC summit in Shenzhen in November 2026 and the G-20 in Miami in December 2026. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to confirm reports of an agreement allowing 10 Chinese companies to purchase advanced Nvidia chips.